Each 9 October is celebrated as United Nations (UN) International Day of the Girl Child.

The Thammasat University Library collection includes many books about different aspects of the life and activities of girl children.

The UN website explains:

Girls’ vision for the future

The 2024 International Day of the Girl theme is ‘Girls’ vision for the future’.

This year’s theme conveys both the need for urgent action and persistent hope, driven by the power of girls’ voices and vision for the future.

Today’s generation of girls is disproportionately affected by global crises of climate, conflict, poverty and pushback on hard won gains for human rights and gender equality. Too many girls are still denied their rights, restricting their choices and limiting their futures.

Yet, recent analysis shows that girls are not only courageous in the face of crisis, but hopeful for the future. Every day, they are taking action to realize a vision of a world in which all girls are protected, respected and empowered.

But girls cannot realize this vision alone. They need allies who listen to and respond to their needs.

With the right support, resources and opportunities, the potential of the world’s more than 1.1 billion girls is limitless. And when girls lead, the impact is immediate and wide reaching: families, communities and economies are all stronger, our future brighter.

It is time to listen to girls, to invest in proven solutions that will accelerate progress towards a future in which every girl can fulfil her potential.

Background

In 1995 at the World Conference on Women in Beijing countries unanimously adopted the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action – the most progressive blueprint ever for advancing the rights of not only women but girls. The Beijing Declaration is the first to specifically call out girls’ rights.

On December 19, 2011, United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 66/170 to declare October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child, to recognize girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world.

The International Day of the Girl Child focuses attention on the need to address the challenges girls face and to promote girls’ empowerment and the fulfilment of their human rights.

Adolescent girls have the right to a safe, educated, and healthy life, not only during these critical formative years, but also as they mature into women. If effectively supported during the adolescent years, girls have the potential to change the world – both as the empowered girls of today and as tomorrow’s workers, mothers, entrepreneurs, mentors, household heads, and political leaders. An investment in realising the power of adolescent girls upholds their rights today and promises a more equitable and prosperous future, one in which half of humanity is an equal partner in solving the problems of climate change, political conflict, economic growth, disease prevention, and global sustainability.

Girls are breaking boundaries and barriers posed by stereotypes and exclusion, including those directed at children with disabilities and those living in marginalized communities. As entrepreneurs, innovators and initiators of global movements, girls are creating a world that is relevant for them and future generations.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by world leaders in 2015, embody a roadmap for progress that is sustainable and leaves no one behind.

Achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment is integral to each of the 17 goals. Only by ensuring the rights of women and girls across all the goals will we get to justice and inclusion, economies that work for all, and sustaining our shared environment now and for future generations.

The website of UNICEF, originally the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, and now officially United Nations Children’s Fund, explains:

Skills4Girls

Girl-centered solutions for unlocking the potential of adolescent girls

There are more than 600 million adolescent girls in the world today — equipped with the right resources and opportunities, they will be the largest cohort of female leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs and change-makers the world has ever seen. They have also shown tremendous courage, strength, and resilience during unprecedented challenges, from the global COVID-19 pandemic, to spiraling climate crises, to fragility and conflict. However, their enormous potential remains constrained by multiple interlocking barriers, from negative stereotypes and harmful social norms, to discrimination in accessing technology or apprenticeships. Investing in their success creates a ripple effect that benefits individual girls, along with their families, their communities and entire societies. In other words — when girls succeed, we all succeed.

The future workforce is projected to focus on science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM), and social entrepreneurship. Over 90 percent of jobs worldwide have a digital component, but options remain limited or non-existent for girls, especially adolescent girls, to excel in these male-dominated fields. Women represent only 35% of global Science, Technology, Education and Mathematics (STEM) graduates at the tertiary level. In many contexts, adolescent girls have no say in decisions that affect them, resulting in programmes and services that do not respond to their specific needs, hindering them from reaching their full potential. Globally, about 1 billion girls and women lack the skills they need to succeed in rapidly changing job markets while 1 in 4 girls aged 15–19 years is neither employed nor in education or training compared to 1 in 10 boys of the same age. The COVID-19 pandemic made things even more difficult for millions of girls, particularly those in marginalised communities. Over 11 million girls may not return to school after the COVID-19 pandemic, with severe consequences for their futures.  

UNICEF’s Response

UNICEF, through the Skills4Girls Portfolio, is currently working with and for girls in more than 20 countries to bridge the gap between the skills girls need to be competitive in the 21st century workforce, versus those they have traditionally had access to. Skills4Girls has impacted more than 9.5 million girls since 2019. The aim is to reach 11.5 million adolescent girls by 2025 with gender-transformative skills-building.

The Skills4Girls Portfolio addresses the UNICEF Gender Action Plan-2022-2025 key commitment to prioritize the leadership and well-being of adolescent girls; and it is hinged on Goal Area 2 of UNICEF’s Strategic Plan 2022-2025, which focuses on access to quality learning opportunities, skills, participation and engagement for all children and adolescents. As one of the five targeted priorities for Girls’ Empowerment in the Gender Action Plan, investments in girls’ education and skills are a critical pathway to dignified work. Skills4Girls develops girls’ skills in areas such as STEM, digital technologies, and social entrepreneurship in addition to life skills such as problem-solving, negotiation, self-esteem, and communication.

Skills4Girls takes a girl-centered approach to skills building:

• Girl-centered engagement: Putting girls at the center of design, implementation, monitoring and learning.
• Girl-specific skills: Focusing on competencies that position girls to participate equally and transition to employment
• Girl-focused approaches: Tailoring strategies to girls’ needs, including safe spaces, mentorship, internships, access to technology, and leadership development.

(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)