International Women's Day 2024: Girls can do anything

Belgrade, March 7, 2024 - On the occasion of International Women's Day, the United Nations in Serbia organized a panel discussion "What would you say to your younger self" and the play "Girls".

“This year's global theme Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress faithfully reflects our mission tonight. We have gathered here today to encourage reflection and dialogue, and we are inspired to take collective action towards a world that values and invests in the potential of every woman and girl," said Mari Yamashita, Representative of the Secretary-General and Director of the United Nations Office in Belgrade, at the opening of the panel "What would you say to your younger self".

"Don't pretend to be someone you're not, be honest with yourself and don't behave in a certain way just to be accepted in society. I would also tell myself not to worry too much about what other people think of me. Also, mistakes are normal and don't let them stop you from moving forward, because that's also part of growing up. And you can't always please everyone," said Kristin Melsom, Norwegian ambassador to Serbia.

Alongside with her, on the panel were also participating Anke Konrad, Ambassador of Germany to Serbia, Plamena Halacheva, Deputy Ambassador of the EU Delegation to Serbia and Flor de Lis Vasquez, Deputy Ambassador of Mexico to Serbia, as well as moderator Minja Bogavac, author of the play Girls.

The German ambassador, Anke, said that she would simply tell her younger self to be bold and accept challenges, as well as "to never think at the start that it is impossible to achieve what I want".

The first piece of advice Halacheva would give to her younger self is to be honest with herself and not limit herself because of the expectations of others. "Those boxes we put ourselves in don't really exist, they exist only in the imagination of other people, and we spend a lot of time in our lives trying to fit into those small boxes," said stated.

Flor de Lis Vasquez, Mexico's deputy ambassador, pointed out that she would tell her younger self not to be afraid of being labeled a feminist. "Because it's a word that still confuses a lot of people in Mexico." Being a feminist does not mean being radical. Being a feminist means you want gender equality for girls," she said.

After the panel, the theater play "Girls" was performed, created through a creative process in which ten young women of different ages, interests and origins from all over Serbia participated. This socially engaged production, which was performed in more than 40 cities in Serbia, is the result of a months-long artistic and research process in which co-authors and performers tell their personal, authentic and true stories. They show us what it's like to be a girl and how girls struggle with challenges or not belonging.

The play was produced by the Reflektor Theater, in partnership with the youth organization E8, and as part of a project implemented by the United Nations Agency for Gender Equality in Serbia (UN Women), funded by the European Union.

"Although the play has many elements of humor, I have to admit that during its creation we were often overwhelmed with feelings but also sad, because we realized that the moment we outgrow our pink rooms, and when we become young women, that the world around us is a narcissistic place and that the girl must be careful because everything can be taken as a provocation", said Milena Minja Bogavac, author of the play.

International Women's Day was established to commemorate the 1909 demonstration of American working women in Chicago and the New York march. More than 15,000 women demanded shorter working hours, better wages and the right to vote. The initiative for that holiday was given by the German feminist Klara Zetkin, and the first Women's Day was celebrated in 1911 in Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Denmark. In 1977, the UN General Assembly declared March 8 the Day of Women's Rights and International Peace. The first celebration of Women's Day in Serbia was held in 1914.