Give to Gain

Commemorating International Women’s Day

Every year on March 8, Zambia joins the global community in commemorating International Women’s Day (IWD) a moment to reflect on progress made, acknowledge persistent gender inequalities, and renew commitments to women’s rights and empowerment. In solidarity with this global movement, the Zambia National Women’s Lobby (ZNWL) actively participates in and convenes activities that promote women’s political participation and leadership. One of ZNWL’s flagship annual events is the International Women’s Day dialogue and engagement forum, which for the past six years has been organised in partnership with the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) Zambia Office. The forum provides a strategic platform for dialogue, learning, and collective action among key stakeholders, including political parties, civil society organisations, government institutions, media, and women leaders.

For International Women’s Day 2026, the dialogue and engagement Forum was held under the theme “Give to Gain: Accelerating Gender Equality through Collaborative and Intentional Support for Women in the 2026 Elections and Beyond.” The forum aimed to inspire concrete action and strengthened commitment towards increasing women’s participation and representation in political and electoral processes in the lead up to the 2026 General Elections as well as in the post election period and beyond.

The dialogue served as a rallying point for stakeholders to reflect on existing barriers to women’s political participation, sharing good practices, and committing to collaborative, intentional actions and investments that support women as candidates, voters, leaders, and decision-makers. Ultimately, the forum sought to advance women’s rights across all aspects of political life and contribute to more inclusive, representative, and democratic governance in Zambia.