RYB GLOBAL INITIATIVES
Women’s Days for Culture of Peace
Also known as Culture Women’s Days — a shorter name used in everyday conversation, social media, and outreach. The full name, Women’s Days for Culture of Peace, reflects the initiative’s roots in UNESCO’s Culture of Peace programme. Culture Women’s Days carries the same meaning: 193 national days that use arts and culture as the path toward peace, equality, and sustainable development. Both names refer to the same global initiative.
WCP
Global Initiatives
X
A Global Framework for Gender Equality & Peacebuilding
Women’s Days for a Culture of Peace is a global citizen-led initiative that expands on the spirit of International Women’s Day.
While International Women’s Day on March 8 highlights progress and calls for action, one day alone cannot address the deep and persistent challenges women face worldwide.
This initiative therefore establishes 193 days each year, one for every UN member state, to recognize both progress and obstacles in peacebuilding, gender equality, and sustainable development…
193
dedicated national days each year
1893
New Zealand — first country to grant women’s suffrage
SDG 5
New Zealand — first country to grant women’s suffrage
THE FRAMEWORK
Why Suffrage? Why 193 Days?
The right to vote is the foundation of democratic participation. It was hard-won. It is still incomplete in parts of the world. It connects every woman — across history and borders.
By anchoring each national day to the date women gained suffrage, the initiative roots the present in the past. It reminds us how far we have come. It shows how far we still need to go.
The framework draws directly from the UN Declaration on a Culture of Peace (A/RES/53/243, 1999). That resolution defines a culture of peace through eight pillars: education, sustainable development, human rights, gender equality, democratic participation, tolerance, free information flow, and peace.
“A culture of peace involves a transformation in the way people think and act to promote peaceful coexistence. Women’s participation is central to that transformation.”
— UN Declaration on a Culture of Peace, A/RES/53/243, 1999
IN PRACTICE
What Happens on a Women’s Day?
Each national Women’s Day is a platform. Communities use it differently. Together, they build something larger.
A Women’s Day can showcase the country’s annual progress on gender equality. It can address the most pressing local challenge. It can celebrate a woman leader, artist, or activist. It can host a public event, a data release, or a cultural performance.
Crucially, the initiative includes both women and men. Gender inequality and patriarchy affect everyone. Lasting change requires joint action — across generations and communities.
EXAMPLES
National Women’s Days: A Foundation Already Exists
Several countries already commemorate when women gained the vote. These observances form the seed of the broader initiative. Here are four examples.
SA
South Africa
August 9 · Since 1994
National Women’s Day on August 9 commemorates the 1956 march of 20,000 women to protest apartheid pass laws. Women gained full voting rights on April 27, 1994, during the country’s first democratic elections.
US
United States
August 26 · Since 1920
Women’s Equality Day marks the 19th Amendment ratification. Women in the US fought for over 70 years to win this right.
AU
United Arab Emirates
August 28 · Since 2006
UAE granted women the right to vote on December 16, 2006. The country also observes Emirati Women’s Day on August 28, celebrating broader achievements in women’s empowerment.
NZ
New Zealand
September 19 · Since 1893
The first self-governing country to grant women the right to vote. Kate Sheppard led the Women’s Suffrage Day campaign. She has appeared on the NZ $10 note since 1993.
The full suffrage history for all 193 countries is explored in the child page below.
History of Women’s Suffrage →
NETWORKS
Building Connections Across Borders
Women’s Days for Culture of Peace links people across sectors and countries. Educators, artists, cultural institutions, and policymakers all have a role.
The initiative creates shared platforms. Communities share data, stories, and strategies. Together, they build year-round momentum — not a single day of symbolic activity.
This is where the initiative connects to the broader WCP framework. Women, Culture and Peace provides the theory. Women’s Days provide the practice — grounded, local, and repeated 193 times a year.
EXPLORE THIS SECTION
Go Deeper: Child Pages
This page is the index for the Women’s Days initiative. Each card below leads to a dedicated section.
History
History: Women’s Suffrage
From New Zealand 1893 to Saudi Arabia 2015 — the full global timeline of women winning the vote.
Calendar
Women’s Days Calendar
All 193 national days listed by date. Find your country’s day and see the data behind it.
Action
Global Call to Action
How individuals, organisations, and governments can participate in the initiative.
Analysis
Global Analysis
Cross-country comparison of women’s rights, gender data, and SDG 5 progress.
LOOKING FORWARD
193 Days. One Direction.
The initiative is young. Most countries do not yet have an official Women’s Day rooted in suffrage history. That is the work ahead.
Gradually, national governments, civil society organisations, and cultural institutions will adopt the framework. Each new country that joins adds a day to the global calendar — and a data point to the map of progress.
By 2030 — the SDG deadline — every country could have its own Women’s Day for Culture of Peace. That would mean 193 annual moments of reflection, celebration, accountability, and action.
It would mean peace is no longer waiting for a summit. It is happening every day of the year — in schools, galleries, community centres, and public squares — led by the people who understand it best.