Armed conflicts, growing inequality, climate change and environmental degradation, all contribute to crises and instability, with young people and children withstanding the worst of these crises, especially young women and girls in particular, who are disproportionately impacted. 

However, girls and young women themselves are at the forefront of leading their generation in accelerating social change. Illustration of this leadership can be found every day, everywhere. 

Plan International / Johanna Caminati

The EU Youth Action Plan adopted last year, encourages girls’ and women’s participation and leadership to ensure gender responsive strategies, especially in important areas like the environment, climate mitigation and adaptation, and increase support for young women and girls in fragile and conflict-affected countries.

Gender equality is a political priority for the EU. In our work for the rights of girls this translates into action across multiple fields from preventing and countering gender-based violence and early marriage to supporting girls’ access to school. Education is key. Education can be a life-saver. Everyone has the right to learn. So we need to support education and especially girls’ education because of the central role education has to play.

On the occasion of the European Week of Action for Girls, with Plan International, EU Special Envoy for Afghanistan Tomas Niklasson will be meeting with Ehitemedhin, an 18-year-old education advocate from Ethiopia. During a symbolic take-over of the Special Envoy’s responsibilities, the two will exchange on their respective priorities and the universality of inclusive and quality education for all.

Education allows Sitara to pursue her dreams…

The EU in partnership with the UN Refugee Agency, is making a difference by supporting Afghan refugees’ access to education in Iran. Since 2018, over 800,000 Afghans and Iraqis have been able to pursue their studies alongside their peers in the country.

Education enables refugee girls like Sitara to settle in a new community, realise their full potential and inspire others. Thanks to the support of the EU and the UN Refugee Agency, Sitara pursued her passion for art.

The EU also works with partners to curb sexual and gender-based violence throughout the world, including in fragile, conflict and emergency situations, for example together with the UN, through the Spotlight Initiative which has helped thousands of women and girls worldwide and protected them or prevented violence against them, educated men and boys on positive masculinity, non-violent conflict resolution and parenting, and contributed to the signature or strengthening of national laws and policies to fight gender-based violence.

Meerim paves the way for education for girls, not early marriage…

In this story prepared by UNICEF in Kyrgyzstan as part of the EU-UN joint Spotlight Initiative to end gender-based violence against women and girls in Kyrgyzstan, we read about Meerim Esengeldieva, a director of Secondary School 2 at the Vasilyevka village, in the north of Kyrgyzstan. She has been working in the field of education for 20 years.

UNICEF in Kyrgyzstan

Ms. Esengeldieva lives in the neighbouring village, Vinogradnoe. In this area, girls are usually prepared for marriage after the end of the ninth grade. But thanks to her work, more girls have become eager to continue their studies and pursue education after school.

Ms. Esengeldieva started using a special methodology called Gender Action Learning System. One of her male students Mustafa is quoted saying:

“I will not have my little sister get married. She will be educated and she will have a vocational education.”

Read the full story: In Kyrgyzstan, parents strive to educate their daughters

Lina, the Syrian girl who learned to love herself…

Elias El Beam/IRC

Lina is one of 1.5 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon. She lives with her mother and three siblings in a refugee camp. The majority of Syrian families live in poverty and their children are often out of school.

With funding from the EU, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) helps girls like Lina through difficult times. Back in Syria, she lived in a big house in Homs. But her life changed after fleeing to neighbouring Lebanon.

“One must develop self-love and self-confidence to move forward in life… Even if there is a crisis, life goes on, so we have to keep moving forward and not let anything get in the way of pursuing our dreams.”

Read the full story: ‘The confident girl’: meet the Syrian girl who learned to love herself