Author

Malowa O-Njeru

November 12, 2024

Resourcing girls: The potential and challenges of girl- and youth-led organising

Learn More, Research, Stay Updated

Young people have been hailed as torchbearers of gender equality and as key actors in identifying and implementing solutions our world urgently requires. This said, understanding how girl- and youth-led organisations operate and their positioning within the ecosystem of gender equality and social change efforts requires careful examination. This report explores the experiences of girl-and youth-led work across low-and middle-income country contexts, and aims to understand the characteristics, contributions, and challenges of girl-and youth-led organisations. It highlights the global focus on gender equality and girls’ rights, emphasizing the increasing visibility of these issues in development commitments yet the complexities in translating these into tangible benefits for girls.

It draws on a rapid evidence review of secondary literature and key informant interviews with girl-and youth-led organisation members, intermediary organisations involved in funding girl- and youth-led groups and monitoring and evaluation experts to understand the contributions and impact of girl-and youth-led initiatives within the broader ecosystem of adolescent and youth empowerment and development as well to investigate the challenges they face in carrying out and expanding their work. The report concludes with reflections and key recommendations stemming from the research.

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September 19, 2024

Beyond commitments: Championing a new Girl-Centred Accountability Charter

Advocacy, Learn More

The Girl-Centered Accountability Charter, launched at the Summit of the Future Action Days 2024, is the keystone of AGIP’s Global Accountability Champions Platform. The Charter outlines 8 actions for governments to model and promote accountability with and for adolescent girls in global advocacy and policy platforms.  

Governments which sign the Charter become ‘Accountability Champions’ and make a public pledge to be accountable to their girl-centred commitments, lead by example, and influence other powerholders to practice accountability.  

Young people, UN bodies and girl-centered organisations can also support the initiative by endorsing the Charter and show solidarity with adolescent girls globally.  

Download the Event Summary report.

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September 2, 2024

Empowering future through Right to Education 

Girl Voices, Stay Updated

by Rushna, AGIP Girl Advisor 2023  – 2024

There is no greater pillar of stability than a strong, free and educated woman.” – Angelina Jolie 

Girls’ education is significant because it brings forth progress that goes far beyond improving the literacy rates. When individual empowerment is recognised through education, the gradual progress of a country is visible.  

The need for greater advocacy and action on children’s rights, especially on girls’ education remains relevant all year around. Here is a brief reflection from the Workshop I organised on the World’s Children Day just last year highlighting the experiencing of my peers coming together on our shared passion for girls’ education.  

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December 11, 2024

Girls on the Agenda and at the Table

Events

6 December 2024
2:00pm  GMT
90 minutes

Enabling power-sharing in decision-making processes through Girl Advisory models

Organizing Partners: AGIP, EMpower – The Emerging Markets Foundation & Global Fund for Women

This webinar, organised by Girl Advisors of the Adolescent Girls Investment Plan (AGIP) on 6th December 2024, celebrated successes, shared valuable lessons, and offered actionable recommendations from the Girls Advisory models of AGIP, EMPower – The Emerging Markets Foundation, and the Global Fund for Women.  

The event also engaged community-based mentors to spotlight the need for in-person safety and learning support and two AGIP board members to underline the need for intergenerational leadership in the current context of increasing roll backs on girls’ rights.  

September 10, 2024

Beyond commitments: Championing a new Girl-Centred Accountability Charter

Events

New York
21 September 2024
3:00pm  GMT-4 (New York, Toronto)
90 minutes

Thank you for attending today’s event: Sign on to the charter or endorse it!

Event title: Beyond commitments: Championing a new Girl-Centered Accountability Charter

Organizing Partners: AMPLIFY Girls, Government of Canada, Government of Sierra Leone, UNICEF

Schedule: 21st September, 15:00-16:30 EST, 90 minutes

Venue:  Blue Gallery, New York City

Background: Despite growing interest in adolescent girls’ leadership, global advocacy andpolicy spaces often lack formal accountability mechanisms that meaningfully include adolescent girls in delivering and tracking progress on commitments made towards gender equality and girls’ rights. Furthermore, many financial pledges made to advance girls’ rights fail to directly benefit them. Key global advocacy and policy spaces, such as the Summit of the Future and Beijing+30, offer opportunities for renewed multi-stakeholder commitments that will significantly impact the lives and futures of adolescent girls. Hence, advocating for their meaningful inclusion beyond making commitments is crucial to accelerate the progress towards a more equitable global future.

Event overview: Aligned with the actions and commitments outlined in the Pact for the Future, particularly those related to youth participation, gender equality, and the transformation of global governance, this event will spotlight the need for girls’ inclusion in delivering the global commitments on girls’ rights and launch a Girl-Centered Accountability Charter to drive progress following the Summit.

Key Highlights:

  • Adolescent girl intervention on the critical need for girl-centered accountability.
  • Insights presentation from ongoing research on girl-led accountability.
  • Launch of the Girl-Centered Accountability Charter along with the first group of member state Champions committed to practicing and promoting girl-centered accountability through AGIP’s Accountability Initiative.

Participants invited: Member states, Adolescent girls and youth, UN bodies, Girl-centered CSOs

Purpose:

  • Girls’ aspirations, priorities, and recommendations inform the implementation of the Summit’s commitments.
  • Increased political momentum and accountability on advancing girls’ rights in the follow-up to the Summit of the Future and towards Beijing+30.
  • Governments express willingness to become active allies with and for adolescent girls in global policy spaces and within their own countries’ leadership to advance the adolescent girl agenda.

Registration details

Please note that AGIP is organizing this session as a part of the very first Youth Power Summit 2024 co-organized by Fondation Botnar and Restless Development, coinciding with the UN’s Summit of the Future.

About the Youth Power Summit 2024

  • With 1.8 billion individuals representing the largest generation of young people in history, we must ensure young voices are not only heard but actively included in the global decision-making process.  
  • The two-day Youth Power Summit (21-22 September) will serve as a vibrant platform where young people can engage directly with policymakers, share their perspectives, and advocate for their rights and wellbeing. 

To attend the AGIP Accountability Event, please register for Day 1 of the Youth Power Summit.

In keeping with the Youth Power Summit’s principles of inclusivity and youth participation, AGIP will only be reserving slots for speakers. All other interested members need to register via the link above, which will give you access to the entirety of Day 1 of YPS. We highly encourage registered participants to explore the full YPS programme and join more than one event.

Please note: Tickets are on a first come first serve basis, and are extremely limited, so sign up fast!

Other information: Please revisit this page for information on accessibility, media and safety guidelines.

September 6, 2024

In Conversation with Adolescent Girls: What it means to be Girl’s Ally on the Global Stage

Events

Orange Room, UNFPA Headquarters New York
15 March 2024
9:00am  GMT-4 (New York, Toronto)
90 minutes

Friday, 15th March, 9:00 am – 11 am EDT

During this event on the fringes of CSW we heard from adolescent girls directly on the challenges they face, specifically with regards to participating in political dialogues and inclusion in accountability processes. They presented their ideas on enabling and empowering allyship, and what needs to happen to shift power and resources to adolescent girls and young feminist-led initiatives.  

The first hour featured a high-level, intergenerational panel between adolescent girls and member states: Canada, Kenya, Sierra Leone and the United States of America. It was followed by an interactive workshop where all participants were invited to join intergenerational, multi-stakeholder groups to further unpack what it meant to show up as an ally for adolescent girls in global spaces. All dialogues will be facilitated alongside outcome-focused questions.  

As a concrete output, we compiled a list of practical solutions from all the participants that would be utilised for further advocacy on allyship for girls in intergovernmental processes in the lead-up to the Summit of the Future later this year.