To mark International Women’s Day 2025, Finnish Design Shop is once again supporting UN Women’s work for equality. This year, the support is more important than ever, as women’s and girls’ rights are at risk of being rolled back in many parts of the world. Join us in taking action and pushing equality forward!
IN MARCH 2025, it has been 50 years since the UN first declared International Women’s Day in 1975. While there’s much to celebrate, there’s also a great deal of work to be done – especially as hard-won rights are currently under threat in many parts of the world.
Once again, Finnish Design Shop and Franckly are celebrating women’s rights with an annual Women’s Day campaign: for every order placed during the campaign, we’ll donate five euros to UN Women Finland, up to a total of 5,000 euros.
Founded in 2010, UN Women is the United Nations organization dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. Ahead of Women’s Day 2025, we spoke with Aura Yliselä, Head of Fundraising at UN Women Finland, about the current state of women’s rights and the ongoing fight for equality.
Happy 50th International Women’s Day! While this milestone is significant, there’s still a long way to go. What key progress has UN Women made over the past year?
“Over the last year, UN Women has strengthened its role in humanitarian aid, supporting women and girls in crisis zones. In 2024, for example, we provided direct assistance to over 180,000 women and girls in war-torn Ukraine.
More broadly, over 9.5 million women and girls across 79 countries – ranging from refugees to survivors of gender-based violence – have received aid, support, and essential services through UN Women’s programs.”
UN Women’s work is essential worldwide. How will Finnish Design Shop’s Women’s Day donation be used?
“The donation will go toward UN Women’s core funding – unrestricted resources that are vital in supporting all areas of our work.
These flexible funds allow UN Women’s headquarters to direct resources where they are most urgently needed. Right now, that means providing critical aid in Ukraine, Gaza, and Afghanistan.”
At the end of February, it marked three years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. How has UN Women supported Ukrainian women and girls through the ongoing war?
“UN Women has helped deliver essential supplies to women and their families, including food, medicine, and hygiene products, as well as shelter, clean water, and electricity. Through training programs, we have also supported women in finding employment and securing a livelihood.
We have established safe spaces for women and girls who have experienced violence – these spaces provide psychological, humanitarian, and social support, along with information on other critical services. Women affected by violence also have access to both individual and group therapy sessions.
Additionally, we have ensured that humanitarian aid reaches particularly marginalized groups, including Roma women, LGBTQ+ communities, single mothers, female veterans, and women with disabilities.”
As the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire nears its end, the situation for Palestinians remains highly unstable. What are some of the key ways UN Women has helped in Gaza, which has been described as a humanitarian catastrophe?
“We have delivered food, emergency aid, and essential items for women, such as warm clothing, hygiene products, and infant formula. Our priority is to ensure that the most vulnerable women and their families, particularly female-headed households, receive assistance.
“Our priority is to ensure that the most vulnerable women and their families receive assistance."
We have also provided psychosocial support and mental health services for women in Gaza. Additionally, UN Women supports local women’s organizations to help them meet urgent needs, including services to combat gender-based violence.”
Women and girls in Afghanistan are facing increasing restrictions on their role in society and public spaces. How is UN Women working to support them?
“In Afghanistan, we are helping women and girls build livelihoods by offering education, apprenticeship programs, and direct cash assistance to those in vulnerable situations. We provide literacy training, safe spaces, and psychosocial counseling for women who have faced poverty and violence.
We are also challenging harmful norms by engaging with local men, boys, and community leaders. Our work documents what is happening to Afghan women and girls, amplifies their voices and recommendations, and advocates for the restoration of their rights.”
UN Women Finland’s campaign highlights the setbacks in gender equality worldwide – including in online spaces, where Finnish Design Shop operates as an international e-commerce company. What actions do you hope different stakeholders will take to push equality forward?
“Finland must take stronger action against all forms of violence against women, including online violence and its impunity. Sufficient resources must be allocated to anti-violence work and support for survivors.
Collaboration between businesses and labor market organizations is needed to close the gender pay gap, reduce discrimination related to pregnancy and parental leave, and promote equality in the workplace.
Finland must also lead by example and act swiftly against any attempts to weaken the human rights of women and girls. We need to challenge all forms of hate speech targeting women, girls, and gender and sexual minorities while actively promoting gender equality both in Finland and internationally."
“We need to challenge all forms of hate speech targeting women, girls, and gender and sexual minorities.”
How do you plan to mobilize equality advocates for Women’s Day? What actions can each of us take to make a difference?
“In recent years, gender equality has taken steps backward, and the hard-won rights of women and girls are under threat worldwide. This trend must be reversed – equality must move forward. You can join us for an unprecedented Women’s Day march for gender equality and the rights of all women and minorities on Saturday, March 8, 2025, at 1 PM in Helsinki’s Senate Square.
If you can’t attend the march in Helsinki, you can take part in a Women’s Day march in your own city or support UN Women’s work for gender equality through donations.”
Join us in supporting gender equality
Finnish Design Shop and Franckly will donate 5 € to UN Women Finland for every order placed during the Women’s Day campaign, up to a total of 5,000 €. You can take part by simply shopping at Finnish Design Shop between March 5–11, 2025, or by making a direct donation to UN Women Finland.
• Donate to UN Women Finland >
• Learn more about the Women’s Day march in Helsinki >
Interview: Eero Nurmi Edit: Nora Uotila Illustration: Dora Dalila Cheffi