International Women's Day

The parade was led by the Deputy Police, Prisons and Corrections Commissioner, Papalii Monalisa Keti.

Papalii is the first female to hold the Deputy Police Commissioner in Samoa which is the highest rank in the Police force.

The march towards the Government building was part of their usual morning routine to raise the national flag, however the parade was extra special because it consisted of all women within the Ministry of Police and Prisons.

At Digicel Pacific, this theme celebrates the great efforts of our women across our five markets - Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu and Nauru in shaping a more equal future, accepting differences and celebrating diversity.

Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa gave the opening address at Samoa's International Women's Day event, saying it is a day to reflect on the resilience and determination of women to overcome the challenges they face.

She said the day serves as a reminder for all that women's voices need to be heard, women's rights should be recognised, women deserve to be protected from all forms of violence and to be included in all aspects of life.

Fiamē said the day was born from an outcry of women against inequality with limited or no voting rights.

Five feminists from the Pacific chose to acknowledge International Women's Day this year by sharing their ideas on tackling gender-based violence and gender inequality.

A Samoan woman is using her non-governmental organisation called Brown Girl Woke to empower young girls in primary schools in rural areas.

The 2019 initiative is aimed at gender equality, a greater awareness of discrimination and a celebration of women's achievements.

Staff at Digicel PNG’s headquarters joined the rest of the world in celebrating International Women's Day today, which coincided with the company’s Women In Leadership League third anniversary.

One of the women leaders within the organisation, Digicel PNG’s head of human resource, Helen Gegeyo, shared her thoughts on the theme: ‘Balance for Better’.

The music and culture network flipped its logo upside down -- turning the "M" into a "W" -- on TV and online Wednesday.

"WTV" also announced that employees running its social media accounts would go on "strike" for the day as a nod to protests expected worldwide.

A national strike movement called A Day Without a Woman has been organized to coincide with International Women's Day. The movement underscores wage disparity, discrimination and harassment.

"I think it's simply women having rights and conversations and engaging and talking, and I feel like certainly that's something I'm seeing happening much more," Dockery told CNN in an interview timed to her upcoming film, "The Sense of an Ending."

"I was at a dinner party recently, we were having a conversation, women having a conversation and being very open about our experiences and engaging, and I think that's ensuring that every woman has that right to speak up."

I bought my purple ribbon, attended a talk and heard once again about the underrepresentation of women on boards and in executive roles.

And the breakfasts: oh, the breakfasts. So many to choose from, all with interesting speakers and fantastic spreads at fancy hotels.

But this is my first International Women's Day as a mother, and I'm just hoping to be able to fit in a coffee before my baby wakes up.

Like in previous years, I looked for IWD events to attend.

Producer Ryan Murphy, the man behind "American Horror Story" and "Feud," is showing his support for A Day Without Women by telling the female employees of his production company not to show up for work.

"In honor & support of tomorrow's A DAY WITHOUT A WOMAN, ALL the women in my company will not be working," he wrote on Twitter. "So in short, nothing will get done."

Today is International Women's Day and the UN says women in the region still experience limited job opportunities, under-representation in management positions, and workplace harassment.

Deputy Representative at the Pacific office for UN Women Nicolas Burniat said women also faced more limited employment opportunities, despite making up a significant portion of the informal economy.

Mr Burniat said the under-utilisation of half the population meant the potential of the Pacific's economies was also being under-utilised.