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Girl Advocates from around the world participate in the Adolescent Girl Leadership Town Hall including 10 girls from the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd – planners, speakers, and participants.

Today the GFA Adolescent Girl Leadership Town Hall gave girls the opportunity to come together with a shared purpose: to reaffirm the power and leadership of girls worldwide. Throughout the town hall, girls engaged in vital conversations with key stakeholders: member states, UN agencies, philanthropies, and civil society organizations. Girls’ recommendations revolved around the five domains of adolescent well-being: good health and optimum nutrition, connectedness, positive values, and contribution to society, safety and a supportive environment, learning, competence, education, skills, and employability, and agency and resilience.

We are proud to report that a Good Shepherd student from India named Sugandha was able to give her recommendations where she called upon the Member States to engage as active participants with girls to empower adolescent girls worldwide. She shed light on the burden of responsibility that rests upon Member States’ shoulders to guarantee the safety and welfare of adolescent girls. She urged Member States to actively implement policies to combat gender-based violence, to focus on adolescent health, and to ensure quality education – so that Member States can shape a brighter future for adolescent girls. 

Mr. Fred Simwaka, the Deputy Director for Gender Affairs responsible for Women Empowerment in the Ministry of Gender Children Disability and Social Welfare from Malawi responded to Suganda’s recommendations and seemed to agree with many if not all her recommendations, which is promising. It is through the commitment and support of Member States that meaningful change can be achieved.

During the UN agencies segment, Ms. Begona Lasagabaster, Director for Gender Equality at UNESCO and Sarah Hendriks, Deputy Executive Director for Policy, Programme, Civil Society and Intergovernmental Support ad interim from UN Women responded to girl recommendations and again agreed with many of the recommendations given by the girl advocates. UN Agencies bring specialized knowledge, resources, and networks to address the challenges faced by adolescents, making their contributions invaluable.

During the Philanthropies segment, we had the pleasure of hearing  responses from Ms. Lisa Bohmer as the Global Lead for Early Childhood Development initiative at Hilton Foundation and Ms. Aminata Kamara, as the Acting Co-Lead, Resourcing Resistance at Purposeful. Philanthropies play an important role in influencing the flow of resources, particularly financial support, for the well-being of adolescent girls so their input is important for this type of conversation.

During the Civil Society segment, the importance of Civil society organizations serving as vital partners in driving transformative change, advocating for policies, and amplifying the voices of girls was demonstrated. We had the honor of having Christle, a Good Shepherd student from Sri Lanka address civil society as an ally. She demanded necessary space, support, and opportunities to drive girls’ development agenda. Christle also urged Civil Society to actively engage girls in policy creation, programming, and research. She called for Civil Society to empower girls to thrive and reach their full potential. Adolescent girls are not just the leaders of tomorrow, but they are leaders today.

Ms. Divya Srinivasan, Global Lead of the Ending Harmful Practices program, Equality Now and Ms Kathleen Sherwin as the Chief Strategy and Engagement Officer at Plan International responded to Christle’s recommendations and shared their reflections where in general they also accepted and complimented her recommendations. 

It was clear that the girls appreciated the stakeholders’ willingness to engage and listen to them as equal partners. However more is needed from them – a guarantee that girls’ voices were heard and that their wellbeing is ensured. 

3 girls from Latin America – Andrea, (Bolivia) Genesis, (Equidor) and Keiry (El Salvador), 2 from Africa Athible, South Africa, and Rose from Senegal together with Jasmine (India) were participants in the session. Isabel and Jasmine were members of the planning team but not selected as speakers.

Read more HERE about the 1.8 billion young people for change and the Global Forum for Adolescent ’23. October 11 and 12th are the big days. Join the world’s largest-ever gathering for adolescent well-being! The Forum will be a key milestone for the 1.8 Billion Young People for Change campaign, bringing together youth and adolescents, advocates and global decision-makers. Through national events and a two-day virtual mainstage, the Forum will promote political and financial commitments toward improved adolescent health and well-being. 

Read more about the campaign

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The High-Level Forum (HLPF) to review the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is around the corner – July 10 – 19, 2023

You may well ask how are we doing? The answer is in the advanced unedited edition of Progress Towards the Sustainable Development Goals – Towards a Rescue Plan for People and Planet which was launched at the end of April 2023. it is a long document of 43 pages. When the Secretary-General launched the Report he made the following statement – a summary of what is in the document. The answer to the question is not very well!

Some points to consider: This is the halfway point to the 2030 deadline. Half the world has been left behind. Only 12 percent of the Sustainable Development Goal targets are on track, progress on 50 percent is weak and insufficient and more than 30 percent of the SDGs have gone into reverse. The COVID-19 pandemic and the triple crisis of climate, biodiversity, and pollution are having a devastating impact, amplified by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It is estimated that only 30 percent of all countries will achieve SDG 1 on poverty by 2030. Hunger has also increased and is back at 2005 levels. Gender equality is some 300 years away.  Just 26 people have the same wealth as half of the world’s population. Our war on nature is accelerating. A financial crisis is looming due to increasing debt levels.

The report outlines the following example of inequality. The International Monetary Fund allocated $650 billion in Special Drawing Rights – the main global mechanism to boost liquidity during COVID-19 crisis. Based on current quotas, the countries of the European Union received a total of 160 billion dollars in Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) while African countries with three times the population received 34 billion dollars – and that was money created out of nothing.

The many UN agreements concluded in 2015 – Financing for Development, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Climate Agreement, and the NY Declaration on Migrants and Refugees (2016) all committed to peace and prosperity for all people and the planet. Today the promises are in peril. Why? Chief among them is the blatant inequality, injustice and abuse of power within international relations that run from governments to global institutions, through the international financial architecture, to private banks, credit rating agencies, and an unscrupulous corporate sector.

The 2030 Agenda is an agenda of justice and equality, inclusive, sustainable development, human rights, gender justice, climate justice, and dignity for all. The achievement of this agenda requires fundamental changes to the way power is exercised and the global economy is organized. The SDGs are the path to bridge both economic and geopolitical divides, restore trust and rebuild solidarity.

How can we move from aspiration to action and full implementation of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals between now and 2030? Given adequate resources, strong political will, and determination to implement Human Rights, the paradigm shift could be launched. The proposal of the UN Secretary-General for an SDG stimulus plan calls for additional liquidity, effective debt restructuring, and the expansion of development financing. Let us recall this 75th anniversary year of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and the mid-point on the road to 2030 as the year when no one was left behind.

Post CSW 67 Activities

The Commission on the Status of Women 67th session ended on March 18th and was immediately followed by the opening of the 68th Session. Two themes are allocated per session – a priority theme and a review theme. The priority theme for CSW 68 in 2024 is ‘Accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective.’ The Review theme is: ‘Social protection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls (agreed conclusions of the sixty-third session). Both themes are of special interest to us. While linking directly with our position paper on Economic Justice the topics are intersectional and crossing cutting across all six position papers. Throughout the years our advocacy at the United Nations has been strong and consistent on the implementation of rights-based social protection.

On March 23 Winifred Doherty spoke on the direct impact of corporate activities both on the ground and across their value chains, which disproportionately undermine women and girls’ human rights, in Africa primarily, and across the world. The invitation to be a panelist came from the Africa Europe Faith and Justice Network Ireland. I connected the dots from Kolwezi in the Democratic Republic of Congo to Good Shepherd Province NewYork/Toronto, an investor, so as to undertake advocacy with Tesla, a multinational automotive and clean energy company headquartered in Austin, Texas on behalf of the local community – children and women in Kolwezi who human rights are violated on a daily basis by the ‘Pharaoh’ of today. No one of us can do this work alone. We need to network with multiple other organizations with expertise in the area of concern e.g. Investor Advocates for Social Justice in NY. The preliminary documentary Maisha and the BBC Documentary both show conditions on the ground in Kolwezi.

It was a privilege to share the time with Sr Veronica and know of her work. You can see the other segments of the program on the website Learn more about the latest projects HERE

Another advocacy moment happened on March 28 with an invitation to be a panelist at a C20 India Working Group Human Rights as Human Values. You may well ask what is C 20 India. C20 India 2023 is one of the official Engagement Groups of the G20 that provides a platform for Civil Society Organizations (CSO) around the world to voice people’s aspirations to the world leaders in G20. It gives CSOs a forum to protect the agency of this sector, reflect the primary and common concerns affecting the people of the world, and to promote social and economic development with the vision of leaving no one behind. See more

human-rights-as-human-valuesDownload

Review of the Sustainable Development Goals 2022

The process reviewing the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) each year is called the High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF). This year the HLPF starts on July 5th and ends on July 15th. Four days are given to thematic review of specific SDGs and three days to country reports – Voluntary National Reviews (VNR). A new website has been launched and it is user friendly. Unfortunately it is only in English. Website it is easy to navigate. These are the pages for the HLPF 2022; The Program; and Details of each day. Five SDGs are being reviewed this year

o Partnerships (SDG 17SDG 4, 5, 12, 14 and 15.) 5 July 3.00 PM – 6.00 PM, EDT
o Quality education (SDG 4) 6 July 9.00 AM – 12.00 PM, EDT
o Gender equality (SDG 5) 7 July 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM,EDT
o Life below water (SDG 14) 7 July 3.00 PM – 6.00 PM, EDT
o Life on land (SDG 15) 11, July 9.00 AM – 12.00 PM, EDT

For questions that will provide a panel focus on each SDG See. All sessions will be webcast live on UN Web TV.

The VNRs commence on Monday July 13th. 45 Countries will provide country reports. The list of countries as in the letter of the President of ECOSOC in October 2021 is as follows:
Andorra*, Argentina**, Belarus*, Botswana*, Cameroon*, Comoros*, Côte d’Ivoire*, Djibouti, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, El Salvador*, Eritrea, Eswatini*, Ethiopia*, Gabon, Gambia*, Ghana*, Greece*, Grenada, Guinea-Bissau, Italy*, Jamaica*, Jordan*, Kazakhstan*, Latvia*, Lesotho*, Liberia*, Luxembourg*, Malawi*, Mali*, Montenegro*, the Netherlands*, Pakistan*, the Philippines**, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal*, Somalia, Sri Lanka*, Sudan*, Suriname, Switzerland**, Togo***, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates*, Uruguay*** (Note: Countries with one asterisk * are second timers, those with two asterisks ** are third timers, those with three asterisks *** are presenting for the fourth time, while those without asterisks are presenting for the first time).

Countries were Good Shepherd are present are Argentina, El Salvador, and Uruguay in ECLAC; Italy, and The Netherlands in ECE; Pakistan, The Philippines, and Sri Lanka, in ESCAP and Senegal and Sudan in ECA. By clicking on the link below your country flag you can see the messages and reports that have been prepared and uploaded

https://hlpf.un.org/countries/argentina
https://hlpf.un.org/countries/el-salvador
https://hlpf.un.org/countries/argentina
https://hlpf.un.org/countries/italy
https://hlpf.un.org/countries/netherlands
https://hlpf.un.org/countries/philippines
https://hlpf.un.org/countries/sri-lanka
https://hlpf.un.org/countries/pakistan
https://hlpf.un.org/countries/senegal
https://hlpf.un.org/countries/sudan

The Report of the Secretary General on the Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals has been prepared and posted. This reports contains an analysis of each of the 17 SDGs. Another report was launched on 2 June entitled Sustainable Development Report 2022: A Global Plan to Finance the Sustainable Development Goals. A dashboard with country ranking has been prepared. Find your country ranking and an interactive map The key findings presented at the launch of the report were
1. Peace, diplomacy, and international cooperation are fundamental conditions for the world to progress on the SDGs towards 2030 and beyond.
2. For the second year in a row, the world is no longer making progress on the SDGs. A global plan to finance the SDGs is urgently needed.
3. At mid-point on the way to 2030, policy efforts and commitments supporting the SDGs vary significantly across countries, including among G20 countries.
• 2023 Heads of States SDG Summit should be an opportunity to re-commit to this Agenda.
4. Rich countries generate negative international spillovers notably through unsustainable consumption; Europe is taking actions.
5. The COVID-19 pandemic forced data providers to innovate and build new forms of partnerships; these should be leveraged and scaled up to promote SDG impacts by 2030 and beyond.
• Science, technological innovations, and data systems can help identify solutions in times of crises and can provide decisive contributions to address the major challenges of our times. These require increased and prolonged investments in statistical capacities, R&D, and education and skills.

The recording of the launch is available on the UNSDSN YouTube channel. There were two international panelists in conversation with the moderator – Ms. Susanna Moorehead, DAC Chair of the OECD and Prof. Jeffrey D. Sachs, President of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN). This was followed by the launch of the report with a PowerPoint presentation. In the last segment Arsène Dansou, Director General of the Debt Management Office, Ministry of Economy and Finance of Bénin and Dr. Simona Marinescu, UN Resident Coordinator Samoa, Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau  shared on promising national experiences.

During the HLPF there will be a number of VNR Labs and Side Event -to date a scheduling of these events has not been posted. You can watch for postings at https://hlpf.un.org/2022

The HLPF will end with a ministerial declaration. This declaration is currently being negotiated. Draft two is available HERE Paragraph 13 reads “We take note with appreciation of the Secretary-General’s report on Progress towards the SDGs. In particular, we note with alarm that years, or even decades, of development progress have been haltered or reversed, due to multiple and widespread impacts of COVID- 19, conflicts and climate change. We are particularly concerned by the rise in extreme poverty, hunger, malnutrition and food insecurity, inequalities, education disruptions, violence against women, unemployment, additional social and economic vulnerabilities affecting in particular those already in the most vulnerable situations, in addition to the increased challenges posed by climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution . We recognize that the multiple and interlinked global crises we are facing are putting the SDGs at great risk and jeopardize the achievement of the 2030 Agenda. We commit to mobilize and accelerate actions for rescuing the SDGs and leave no one behind by to adopting resilient, sustainable, inclusive and low-carbon development pathways for the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda.” The bold print is mine.

UN Women has published “Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals: The Gender Snapshot 2021” This 30 page book provides a good snapshot of the current situation of Gender Equality in relation to each of the SDGs. If you like visuals then you will appreciate the charts and graphs. One interesting one comparing the target with the reality is below. One of our strong advocacy points over the years has been for implementation of Social Protection Floors in line with ILO Recommendation 202. See Article 5 for a definition of Social Protection Floors.

Read the Report

Laudato Si’ Week 2022 May 22 – 29

Laudato Si’ Week 2022 will be celebrated May 22 – 29 this year. This is the 7th anniversary of Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si on care of creation. The theme for the week is “Listening and Journeying Together.” The eight-day global event will be guided by the following quote from Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’: “Bringing the human family together to protect our common home” (LS 13).

A website with resources has been prepared and is in 5 languages English, French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese

Français

Español
Italiano

Português

The website has many resources that you may wish to use. There is an events pages where you can register your event. This too is in all the languages French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese

Check the Celebration Guide, available in French (not yet posted), Spanish, Italian and Portuguese

Commission for Social Development – just completed – February 7 – 16, 2022

The Commission has been in session since February 7 exploring the theme “Inclusive and resilient recovery from COVID-19 for sustainable livelihoods, well-being and dignity for all: eradicating poverty and hunger in all its forms and dimensions to achieve the 2030 Agenda.” Some concepts stand out – sustainable livelihoods, well-being, dignity, eradicating poverty and hunger. The GSIJP Office has been engaging with the theme since late July 2021 when I attended the Expert Group Meeting. Alexis Schutz prepared our written statement to the Commission SEE reflecting on the global situation, focusing on solutions and making recommendations. Throughout the year we were engaging with the NGO Committee for Social Development and contributed to the Civil Society Declaration with it’s 10 calls to action linked with the theme. This Declaration has been signed and supported by several Good Shepherd Representative in various countries and programs throughout the world. It was Ernestine Lalao, NGO Designate in Madagascar who mobilized in Africa for a webinar on the Commission and the Civil Society Declaration.

The Chair of the Commission H.E. Ms. María del Carmen Squeff of Argentina has been firm in her challenge to the Commission asking time and again to hear about practical solutions to ending poverty, and hunger, utilizing decent work grounded in dignity of each person. The Vice Chair Mr. Stefano Guerra of Portugal asked for concrete examples that are being implemented and effective at the Multi-Stakeholders Forum Panel on Thursday morning. Concept Note

The Commission together with NGO’ call for a new ‘Social Summit’ and a ‘New Social Contract’. You might well be asking what do these terms mean? The first Social Summit was held in Copenhagen in 1995, the same year that the 4th World Conference on Women took place in Beijing. The Declarations are visionary and principled, accompanied with concrete action towards implementation and realization. In the intervening 27 years the vision and dream remain largely unfulfilled for most of the world’s population. While there had been significant progress in eradicating poverty prior to the pandemic but today the number of people living in extreme poverty are as high as they were in the 90’s. The roll out of social protection programmes during the pandemic proved to be effective. They show and demonstrate that access to social protection – a government provision for all the people – was indeed helpful. Today, there are fears of a return to austerity measures while some few people, companies, and corporations amass huge and unseemly profits in a time of immense global suffering. This is further evidenced in the lack of political will to roll

The social contract of the 20th century was an attempt to equalize relations between capital and labour and aimed to institutionalize social rights for citizens largely in industrialized countries grounded in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The contract started to fail in the 1970s with the development of neoliberal policies and globalization. A new report of the UN Secretary General “Our Common Agenda” references and elaborates both the New Social Contract and the Social Summit. The social contract envisions a new global deal to deliver global public good. An UNRISD publication explains more about the ‘New Eco-Social Contract”. The Social Summit is proposed for 2025, 30 years after Copenhagen – a global deliberation as it were to live up to the values, including trust and listening that are the basis of a social contract. Gender equality, care of the planet, the roll out of social protection floors, and full implementation of the 2030 agenda are front and center in the social contract. The mobilization of people to engage in both processes are critical to success. Juan Somavida, Chairperson of the Preparatory Committee in the lead up to the first World Summit for Social Development, Copenhagen in 1995 says that the process of the ‘New Social Summit’ is as important, if not more important, than the outcome.

On Thursday February 10 I was able to ask a question at the Multi-Stakeholder Forum “How ensure ethical and rights based approaches to honour people’s dignity and implement human rights – Listen or Read

On Tuesday 15 Alexis delivered our oral statement to the Commission during the general discussion.

Alexis was asked to send a video recording which was played during the session. Read the text.

We prepared a written Statement to the Commission

The commission ended on Wednesday 16 with the adoption of a resolution by consensus on the priority theme “Inclusive and resilient recovery from COVID-19 for sustainable livelihoods, well-being and dignity for all: eradicating poverty and hunger in all its forms and dimensions to achieve the 2030 Agenda.” We as NGO’s are happy to read Para 25 “Encourage Member States to facilitate the meaningful participation and empowerment of those in vulnerable situations, including those living in poverty, in the design, implementation and monitoring of COVID-19 recovery plans.” While the resolution was adopted by consensus, there are a few sentences that led some Member States to state their opinions and concerns e.g Para 26 “…empowering all people and facilitating the social inclusion and participation of those who face multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination;” or “…especially for women and girls who experience multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination and violence…” The 3rd pillar of the Copenhagen Declaration and Platform for Action – the first Social Summit elaborates ‘Social Inclusion’ together with Poverty Eradication and Full Employment and Decent Work. Despite the intervening years we are still struggling with ‘discrimination’ against certain groups of people including women and girls. Indeed it is the challenge for all of us – how cultivate a mindset of inclusion of every person.

COP 26 – The Glasgow Meeting on Climate Change

The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26, is the 26th United Nations Climate Change conference. It is being held in the city of Glasgow, Scotland, between 31 October and 12 November 2021, under the co-presidency of the United Kingdom and Italy. The president of the Conference is Alok Sharma and Minister of State at the Cabinet Office since 2021. COP26 is seen as the most important international climate meeting since 2015, when the world adopted the Paris Agreement to hold global warming to below 1.5°C at best and well below 2°C at the worst. Veronica Brand, a Sister of the Sacred Heart of Mary at the UN is quoted as saying “COP 26 needs to be an inflection point in terms of care of our common home” Read more “Catholic groups outline priorities ahead of Glasgow COP26 climate change summit: from NCR October 22, 2021. See also 5 reasons why Catholics should care about the COP26 climate summit from October 15, 2021. Reason #3 Catholic social teaching is on the table, especially for people living in poverty. Veronica continues “name a principle of Catholic social teaching — from the dignity of every person, to solidarity and workers’ rights — and you will find it relates to the discussions at COP26. With the impact of climate change, we are talking about action on behalf of justice. … We are talking about lives being threatened. We’re talking about livelihoods and the dignity of those who are most marginalized.”

Our position paper on Intergal Ecology calls to be be activety engaged in processess like COP 26. How are you engaging at a personal, community, country level. Have you supported statements calling for action? Are you engaging in social media – Twitter, Facebook or Instgram? Do you plan to find updates from the conference on a daily basis? Every point listed below is applicable to COP 26.

This is the link to the Conference Website which has lots of information.

Earlier in October of this year the Vatican had a meeting entitles ‘Religion and Science towards COP 26. The video contains a reading the agreed document and you can read more HERE

Read More about the Joint Appeal Here

So much of what is put forth echoes deeply with our position paper and I include the action point from the paper on Economic Justice for your consideration also.


Leading on from this I want to bring your attention to a ‘Feminist Agenda for People and Planet.’ The Feminist Economic Justice for People & Planet Action Nexus is led by four key partners—who also serve as co-leads for two of the Action Coalitions on economic justice and on climate justice:. The document brings together Economic Justice and Climate Jusitice, focusing on two of the action coalitions coming from Beijing+25 and Generation Equality Forum. The Agenda lays out 6 principles

(i) An economy that shifts from the disproportionate emphasis on being productive economy into a feminist decolonial green new economy
(ii) An economy that puts the primacy of human rights and well-being of the planet over the primacy of growth and GDP
(iii) An economy that promotes an equitable and just global trade order
(iv) An economy that redistributes wealth and resources
(v) An economy that promotes debt justice and a new structure of sovereign debt
(vi) A global economic governance architecture that is democratic

The document can be accessed HERE I invite you to comment in the Comments Box linking what you are reading here with what you are hearing about COP 26 from your country perspctive, in social media and other outlets. When the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report was launched in August 2021, the Secretary General of the United Nations said it was a ‘code red for humanity. The alarm bells are deafening, and the evidence is irrefutable:  greenhouse‑gas emissions from fossil-fuel burning and deforestation are choking our planet and putting billions of people at immediate risk.  Global warming is affecting every region on Earth, with many of the changes becoming irreversible. … If we combine forces now, we can avert climate catastrophe.  But, as today’s report makes clear, there is no time for delay and no room for excuses.  I count on Government leaders and all stakeholders to ensure COP26 is a success.’ READ MORE Will your Government work to ensure that COP26 is a success? Reporting from the BBC may give you insights into why Conferences might not be as effective as we would want – indicating that contrary forces are at work!

The Generation Equality Forum Paris has begun

Today, June 30 the long awaited Generation Equality Fourm with the launch of the 6 Action Coalitions, and the Compact on Women Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action has come. While it is 9.30 am in New York it is 3.30 pm in Paris. The Opening Ceremony was very moving, and amid all the glamour, I was hearing of real issues as experienced by real girls and women in very difficult situation in different parts of the world. Girls and girls issues were well covered in the opening ceremony. We also heard of some of the commitment made towards achieving the Action Coalitions.

“Girls should be considered political beings. Girls shouldn’t be invited only for the picture, or the inspirational speech.” Julieta Martinez answerd the question posed by Hilary Clinton and continued “I am Julieta!” “We feel alone!” Julieta, a 17 year old from Chile highlighted the call for girls’ engagment and speaks for girls around the world, who just like her, feel abandoned. Girls know the problems, can and want to be part of the change. Julieta is as passionate and insightful as Hilary Clinton was 26 years ago in Beijing when she uttered that “Human Rights are Women’s Rights and Women’s Rights are Human Rights” but a lot younger! Julieta is a testimony to girl’s agency and recognizes her privilege while indicating that most girls are invisible and don’t have the tools. She recalled Malala, championing eduction for girls – a book and a pen – and I remember Greta Thunberg and Alexandria Villaseñor, both girl climate activists in Sweden and New York! The Girls Open Letter to World Leaders English French Spanish is echoing the very same sentiments and Good Shepherd Girls in India and the Philippines were part of the group who penned the letter.

An actress and activist from Burkina Faso, Roukiata Ouedraogo, talked about her own experience of FGM and the regret her mother felt afterwards.  Her mother later became an advocate, setting up mico credit activities with women while establishing an association to eliminate FGM in her village.  Roukiata emphasized that FGM is a patriarchal legacy and an abomination! The eradication of harmful practices, like excision and child marriage requires the education of all!

 Roukiata Ouedraogo addressing Generation Equality Forum in Paris

The strongest call for girls’ education came from a passionate 16 year old, Yande Banda, co-chair of the Transform Education Coalition hosted by the United Nations Girls Education Initiative (UNGEI). She called for girls’ meaningful representation in key decision-making spaces and ended with a call to World Leaders to stand up! “Stand up for girls’ future, girls’ funding, girls’ education, and ensure that girls are at the table.

Yande Banda calling Member States to Stand Up for Girls’ Education

The recording of the opening of the Forum is livestreamed on UN TV It is in English only and to begin to watch you must move the marker to 01:04:00. What I have referenced above followed the welcome by President Macron of France, and official remarks by the Secretary General of the United Nations and the Executive Director of UN Women who announced a grand total of $40 Billion in new investments towards Gender Equality. $23 billion from the public sector, $4 billion from philanthropic organizations and $13 billion from the private sector. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada said “our government is investing $100 million to support paid and unpaid care work globally. This is a feminist generation and it needs feminist governments to stand with it.”

The President of the Ford Foundation Darren Walker, announces a commitment of $420 million to 5 of the Action Coalitions – GBV, Economic Justice, Technology and Innovation, Bodily Autonomy and SRHR, Feminist Movements and Leadership. Ford Foundatin is also investing in the @BlackFemFund.

The Prime Minister from Finland, Marin Sanna announced a contribution of €150 million in support of Generation Equality in developing countries. Over the five years, Finalnd will work to advance gender equality in Technology and Innovation and SRHR. Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany announced that “Germany is actively involved in the Action Coalition on Economic Justice and Rights and will invest additionally €140 million, making a total of around €240 million in the International Action Coalition”

“The Government of Argentina decided to join and co-lead the Global Care Alliance, together with the Mexican Government, to promote comprehensive care systems and develop more inclusive and equal societies.”

The Malala Fund pledged to award $20m in funding to education activisits and to co-create a quality education agenda with girls. The Rockefeller Foundation is investing $30 million in women-owned organizations throughout the Global South and the Open Society Foundation is investing more than $100 million over the next five years. The Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) announced a commitment of $500 million over five years to two Action Coalitions: Bodily Autonomy and SRHR and Economic Justice and Rights. PayPal committed more that $100 million to advance financial inclusion and economic empowernment of women and girls. The Gates Foundation committed $2.1 billion to help deliver change.

There appears to be no shortage of resources – my question will any of these resources or the impact of them bring any change to the girls and women who are the furthest behind, in fulfillment of the 2030 Agenda pledge to leave no one behind and of reaching the furthest behind first? I did not hear much if anything of the need for systemic change. Are these ‘feel good funds’ in the face of the terrible attrocities I was reminded of towards the end of the program when Nadia Murad, a Yazidi human rights activist, and Dr Mukwege, a Congolese renowned gynaecologist, surgeon, and founder and director of Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, came to the the platform. (See marker 3.41) Both shared the Noble Peace Prize in 2018 and each shared on the impacts of sexual violence on girls and women. Habiba Sarabi the woman Afghani negotiator for peace with the Taliban spoke of 10 month of negotiations – the Taliban are bent on re-establishing the old Afghanistan. In areas that the Taliban have captured they issue orders that women cannot leave their home for education or medical care. All the achievements gained for women’s rights are being lost. You can’t negotiate with extremism, she aaid and her final words “Today we are fighting terrorism in our country, but tomorrow it will knock at every door”.

Habiba Sarabi from Afghanistan.

The session began with this quote from Simone de Beauvoir and I will recall it to end this post – “Never forget that a political, economic or religious crisis would suffice to call women’s rights into question.” During the session there were references to the fact that democracy is threatened, people are afraid, there is a backlash against women’s human rights with the rise of Autocracy but this ceremony and event were filled with hope and determination to resist the backlash and fulfill the promise of Gender Equality.

Girls Open Letter to World Leaders ahead of Generation Equality Forum – Paris

Girls have penned and published an open letter to World Leaders on the eve of the launch of the Generation Equality Fourm in Paris on Wednesday June 30. The GSIJP Office under the leadership of Alexis Schutz has facilitated girls from our organization in India and the Philippines to be part of the drafting group together with girls from Global G.L.O.W., Girl Scouts USA, Save the Children, IBVM Loretto, the The Grail, Mozambique and UN Women Girls’ Advisory Group. The letter has been translated into French and Spanish with an accompanying Tool Kit so that girls can use the letter to inform other girls and start advocacy work with their respective governments. The results of conversation circles that girls facilitated with other girls during CSW 65 is also provided and translated. The 9 page document focuses on each of the 6 Action Coalition with girls’ comments and recommendations. Our girls from the Philippines and India will be joined by girls from Madagascar and Kenya at the Forum.

The letter makes the connection between Generation Equality Forum, the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, and the Action Coalitions. Read the letter! Highlight for yourself what girls are saying! Tap into some amazing energy, vision, creativity and leadership for girls’ rights, gender equality and the future of our planet with girls.

Letter: English, French, Spanish

Toolkit: English, French, Spanish

Report from the Conversation Circles: English, French, Spanish

If you have not yet registered for the Forum you can still do so as registration has been extended until July 2nd. Click on the link. If you don’t register you will be unable to particiapte. See the program

If you are using soical media use these Hashtags ENGLISH: #GenerationEquality FRENCH: #GénérationÉgalité SPANISH: #GeneraciónIgualdad

ActForEqual ENGLISH: #ActForEqual FRENCH: #ÉgalitéOnAgit SPANISH: #ActuemosPorLaIgualdad

Girls want a better future. Girls are the future of this world. In these videos hear girls’ voices from India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Philippines and Malaysia raising their voices. Will World Leaders heed what girls are saying in Paris?

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