Top United Nations officials commemorated this year's International Women's Day by calling on countries to invest more in women and girls, warning that failing to do so will undermine efforts to achieve global development targets.

In his message for the Day, Secretary-General drew attention to the “serious” gap between policy and practice in many countries when it comes to gender equality, as reflected in a lack of resources and insufficient budgetary allocations.

Commentary---By Charity Binka (08-03-2008)

Once again, the world is celebrating International Women’s Day. The Day which is on the theme “shaping progress through investing in women and girls” provides the platform for discussions on the situation of women across the globe.