March 8th, International Women’s Day, is observed each year around the world,not only as a celebration, but also as a time to spotlight women’s rights, equality, and achievements.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, says that in many countries women still don’t have full legal rights. He notes that globally, women have access to only about 64 percent of the legal rights that men do.

He stressed that there’s still a long way to go on gender equality and urged governments to take concrete steps to protect women’s rights and end discrimination.

International Women’s Day is marked each year to honor women’s contributions and to raise awareness about strengthening and protecting their rights.