Key Takeaways:
- International Women’s Day is celebrated by 193 countries, businesses, and NGOs, but its ownership and formalization are attributed to the United Nations.
- A London-based marketing firm, IWD Support Ltd, owns the website internationalwomensday.com, which has been running for over two decades and has seeded its annual themes with British brands and institutions.
- The UN has distanced itself from the website, stating that it has no affiliation with internationalwomensday.com and that its themes are not official UN themes.
- The website sells merchandise, promotes corporate partnerships, and hosts directories for speakers and charities, with UK organizations such as Sainsbury’s, Barclays, and University College London using its themes in marketing campaigns.
- The UN Women spokesperson confirmed that the official theme for International Women’s Day is determined by a group of global experts and communicated through official channels.
Introduction to International Women’s Day
International Women’s Day is a global celebration that is observed by 193 countries, countless businesses, and NGOs every year. While no one owns the day, the United Nations is credited with popularizing, defining, and formalizing it. However, a London-based marketing firm, IWD Support Ltd, has been operating a website called internationalwomensday.com, which has been running for over two decades. The website has been promoting its own annual themes, which have been adopted by British brands and institutions, including Sainsbury’s, Barclays, and University College London.
The Website’s Ownership and Purpose
The internationalwomensday.com website is owned by IWD Support Ltd, a company that was formerly known as Aurora Ventures (Europe) Ltd. The website’s homepage states that International Women’s Day belongs to all groups collectively everywhere and that it is not country, group, or organization specific. However, the website’s language has been largely removed, and it appears vague about its ownership and connection to UN-led efforts to celebrate International Women’s Day. The website sells International Women’s Day merchandise packs, hosts directories for speakers and charities, and promotes corporate partnerships. Each year, the site chooses a theme for International Women’s Day, which has been used by UK organizations in their marketing campaigns.
The UN’s Stance on the Website
The United Nations has distanced itself from the internationalwomensday.com website, stating that it has no affiliation with the site. A spokesperson for UN Women confirmed that the organization had nothing to do with the website and that its themes were not official UN themes. The spokesperson added that each year, a group of global experts determines the official theme for International Women’s Day, which is subsequently communicated through official channels. The UN Women spokesperson also said that purple, green, and white were not UN-selected colors for the campaign.
The Website’s Impact on UK Organizations
UK organizations such as Sainsbury’s, Barclays, and University College London have used the themes provided by internationalwomensday.com in their marketing campaigns. The University of Warwick removed a blog post referencing the website’s 2025 theme, Accelerate Action, after being contacted by the Guardian. UCL’s school of management also removed a blog post referencing the theme, but did not comment. A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said the company had no relationship with Aurora Ventures, the company that owns the website.
The Website’s Corporate Partnerships
Internationalwomensday.com lists a series of high-profile corporate partnerships, including with the London Eye, the insurance firm MetLife, British Petroleum, and the accounting firm Ernst & Young. However, these companies did not respond to queries from the Guardian about these partnerships. The website’s corporate owner, Aurora Ventures, appears to be a private company based in London that lists its business activities as "web portals." The company has assets of about £940,000 and director’s expenses totaling £30,731 in 2024 and £15,182 in 2023. It has listed no charitable contributions on its accounts for the past 10 years.
Conclusion
In conclusion, while International Women’s Day is a global celebration that is observed by many countries, businesses, and NGOs, the website internationalwomensday.com has been promoting its own annual themes, which have been adopted by British brands and institutions. However, the UN has distanced itself from the website, stating that it has no affiliation with the site and that its themes are not official UN themes. The website’s ownership and purpose are vague, and its impact on UK organizations has been significant, with many using its themes in their marketing campaigns. The website’s corporate partnerships and financial activities are also unclear, raising questions about its true purpose and intentions.