March 8 is annually recognized as International Women's Day (IWD). It is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. IWD has been observed since the early 1900s and was celebrated for the first time by the United Nations in 1975.

The International Women's Day (IWD) 2021 theme is "Women in Leadership: Achieving an Equal Future in a COVID-19 World". The pandemic crisis has highlighted the centrality of women's contributions and the disproportionate burdens that women carry.

To uphold women's rights and fully leverage the potential of women's leadership in pandemic preparedness and response, the perspectives of women, in all of their diversity, must be integrated in the formulation and implementation of policies and programmes in all spheres and at all stages of the pandemic response and recovery.

This year, the annual WMU IWD seminar took place online as part of the WMU Alumni Webinar series. The invited keynote speakers and panelists discussed the challenges and opportunities of promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women in education and a broader context under the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.