Celebrating International Women's Day

That this House notes the achievements of women around the world on International Women’s Day on 8 March; welcomes the 2021 theme of #ChooseToChallenge as a call to action for people to challenge gender inequality and bias; celebrates Kamala Harris, the first female, first Black and first Asian-American Vice President of the United States of America; celebrates Zara Mohammed, the first woman to be Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain; celebrates Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the first woman and first African person, to head the World Trade Organisation; and further celebrates British vaccinologist Professor Sarah Gilbert, recipient of the prestigious Albert Medal in recognition of her leadership on the Oxford Covid vaccine; gives thanks to all those women working on the frontline of the pandemic; notes with grave concern the estimates by UN Women that the covid-19 pandemic could wipe out a quarter of a century of increasing gender equality; and calls on all people to consider the ways that society benefits when it is able to tap into the talent, creativity and leadership of women.