5 Liri Decade for Women

Issued to mark the United Nations Decade for Women (1976–1985), this coin was part of a broader push by developing and newly independent nations to participate in UN commemorative programs throughout the late Cold War period. Malta, having gained independence from Britain in 1964 and declared itself a republic in 1974, used such issues partly to assert its presence on the international stage and partly to generate hard currency through collector sales abroad.

KM#71 shares its physical specifications with the wider Commonwealth commemorative silver series of the period, a format adopted almost universally for such issues owing to established international dealer demand.