Spring is in the air! In the United States, March is Women’s History Month. In the rest of the world, March 8th honors International Women's Day, a day that commemorates the struggles of women to realize their full human rights. At the United Nations, March brings women from around the globe to New York to attend the UN Commission on the status of Women. This year’s celebration also marks the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). This groundbreaking document was championed by an extraordinary woman, Eleanor Roosevelt, and has become the defining frame for all of us who seek to ensure that all human beings can aspire to lives of dignity and justice.
The Global Fund for Women is honored to partner in this year-long celebration with leaders like Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland, and Global Fund board member, Charlotte Bunch of the Center for Women's Global Leadership (CWGL). As part of the UDHR campaign to build public awareness around the role and relevance of human rights,
CWGL is leading an effort this month to bring both media and high level UN attention to the leadership role women have played in guaranteeing human rights for all in their communities.
The campaign to refocus attention on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is also a wonderful way to
look back on our 20 years of grantmaking and resource mobilization to advance women’s human rights. Among the many innovative grants over the years are the first hotline for domestic violence in China, the first shelter run by and for trafficking survivors in Nepal, a seed grant to the Zimbabwe Women’s Resource Center and Network, the first grant to the Mexican Women’s Fund (Semillas), and most recently, a first grant to the Nobel Women’s Peace Initiative. Women are making lasting change!
In Solidarity,
Pam Eglinski found out about the Global Fund online and has been an active part of our donor community through the community of Inspiration Partners. These are Global Fund donors who demonstrate their commitment to women’s rights and the women's movement by exponentially increasing their giving.
An international network of NGOs, activists, and academics in over 70 countries on six continents, Global Fund grantee Women Living Under Muslim Laws provides vital “information, support, and a collective space for women whose lives are shaped, conditioned, or governed by laws and customs said to derive from Islam.” 
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