In a message for the International Day for Women and Girls in Science, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director of UN Women and Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO highlight the importance of encouraging a new generation of women and girl scientists to tackle to major challenges of our time.

A hundred years ago today, women across the world took an historic step on the long road to equality. The first ever International Women’s Day was called to draw attention to the unacceptable and often dangerous working conditions that so many women faced worldwide.