Policewomen from the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti attend a ceremony to mark International Women's Day in 2016

© Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Image

It’s International Women’s Day. ‘Think equal, build smart, innovate for change’

Our headline quotes the 2019 theme of International Women’s Day, a UN-sponsored event that champions women’s achievements and calls for more gender parity around the globe. The policewomen on our homepage--from Nepal, Madagascar, and Columbia—were photographed in 2016 at an International Women’s Day celebration in Haiti, where they served as part of a UN peace-keeping mission to help stabilize the government. By having women involved in the mission, organizers were already in the spirit of Women's Day, as studies show that more diversity leads to better results.