 In celebration of International Women's Day, first I'd like to thank all the women in IOM for the work you're doing and the sacrifices you have made toward the vision of IOM as a fair, transparent and inclusive organization serving millions of migrants of all genders around the world. This year our celebration theme is climate change and migration, a matter of gender equality. I'd like to take the opportunity to appreciate the continued efforts of all our staff to raise the visibility of the nexus between gender, climate change and migration every day. The consequences of climate change have highlighted the gender effects on migration patterns. Migrant women facing a loss of jobs and livelihoods forced to return to their countries of origin, trapped, unprotected along dangerous routes while exposed to gender-based violence and exploitation. IOM continues to be committed to gender equality as well as climate change action. But what does that mean for us? For IOM's management, gender equality is not just about the numbers. Our workforce at all levels should reflect the diverse populations that we serve. We must ensure that our policies and decisions are gender-sensitive and inclusive. We must create an environment where women's voices and considerations are heard as clearly and as loudly as other voices. This month let's reflect on our own attitudes and perceptions around gender and how these might impact the working environment and the way we conduct our work so that we can better integrate climate change and gender considerations into our existing and future work. Together, we continue to commit to meeting the various needs of IOM's colleagues of all genders. Policies and systems must be in place and strengthened so that all of IOM's team can work in an environment that recognizes gender equality and diversity and empowers each of you who are dedicated to serving migrants of all genders and all age groups all over the world.