Women in the World: rights and opportunities

“Women in the World: rights and opportunities”, a thematic exhibition timed to the International Women’s Day, runs in the Official Documents Service Department (room 207), from March 1 to April 1.

This day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in December 1977 (resolution A/RES/32/142) and is observed annually on 8 March.

The International Women's Day is celebrated in many countries around the world. It is a day when women are recognized for their achievements without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political.

The Charter of the United Nations, signed in 1945, was the first international agreement to affirm the principle of equality between women and men. Since then, the UN has helped create a historic legacy of internationally-agreed strategies, standards, programmes and goals to advance the status of women worldwide.

Over the years, the UN and its technical agencies have promoted the participation of women as equal partners with men in achieving sustainable development, peace, security, and full respect for human rights. The empowerment of women continues to be a central feature of the UN's efforts to address social, economic and political challenges across the globe.

The theme for International Women’s Day 2019, which will take place on 8 March, is “Think equal, build smart, innovate for change”. The theme will focus on innovative ways in which we can advance gender equality and the empowerment of women, particularly in the areas of social protection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure.

Innovation and technology provide unprecedented opportunities, yet trends indicate a growing gender digital divide and women are under-represented in the field of science, technology, engineering, mathematics and design. It prevents them from developing and influencing gender-responsive innovations to achieve transformative gains for society. From mobile banking to artificial intelligence and the internet of things, it is vital that women’s ideas and experiences equally influence the design and implementation of the innovations that shape our future societies.

The International Women's Day is celebrated in Belarus as a republic-wide holiday. It is called the Women's Day and is a non-working day.

In Belarus, women are actively involved in the society’s development. According to the National Statistics Committee, at the beginning of 2018, the number of women in the republic was 5 million 70 thousand people, or 53.4% of the total population. Today, every second worker in the country is a woman. Among working women, every third has a higher education, every fourth has a secondary specialized education, 16.5% has a vocational education. State policy in the Republic of Belarus  is aimed at the realization of political, social, economic and cultural rights of women. Measures are being taken to reform the law in favor of women, social and economic measures are being developed and implemented to improve the status of women, strengthen and support the family, and ensure that the rights and guarantees granted to women are observed. The development of the women's movement, the expansion of the social partnership of women's public organizations with government structures and the intensification of gender studies also have a positive impact on the improvement of the social status of women.

The exhibition features more than 100 publications of the UN, UNESCO, the Council of Europe, the European Union and the World Bank in the Russian, English, French and German languages: books, periodicals, brochures, booklets and UN mimeographed materials.

The exhibition consists of the thematic sections as follow:

• Women of the world: history and modernity
• The role of women in society (women in politics, economics, family, culture)
• International legal documents aimed at improving the status of women
• Women's health and education
• Efforts to eliminate violence against women
• Gender issues and gender equality
• The status of women in the Republic of Belarus

The exhibition is designed for teachers of social and political disciplines, students, lawyers, historians, representatives of state bodies and non-governmental organizations, as well as those interested in the issues of gender ideology and sociology.

The opening hours of the exhibition correspond to the library’s opening hours.
Admission is by library card or by ticket of the library's social and cultural center. Information and tickets may be obtained at the registration desk.

For more info: (+375 17) 293 27 34 .

Official Documents Service Department