Sri Lanka, March 8 -- International Women's Day, marked annually on 08 March, raises awareness of the issues impacting women all over the world.

This year's theme, 'For ALL women and girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment', calls for actions to unlock equal rights, power and opportunities for all women and girls, for a future where no one is left behind, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Empowering youth, particularly young women and adolescent girls is central to this vision. This year also marks the thirtieth anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action - the most progressive and widely endorsed blueprint for women's and girls' rights worldwide.

In South-East Asia, we recognise that the growth and deve...