Loretto at the UN celebrates the 10th annual celebration of the International Day of the Girl
Posted on October 12, 2022, by Beth Blissman CoL
Loretto at the UN co-sponsored the Girls SpeakOut event held at the U.N. yesterday, and it was truly inspirational. This year, in recognition of the existing and growing gaps in the fulfillment of girls’ rights, including losses in girls’ access to education during the COVID-19 pandemic, and in light of commitments made to girls for the Generation Equality Forum, the International Day of the Girl focus was “IDG+10: Mind the Gap- Girls’ Rights Now!” It’s a long event (just over two hours), but even if you just watch the first five minutes for the history, it will give you a good sense of what my predecessor with Loretto at the UN, Sally Dunne, and I have been doing through the Working Groups on Girls. You can view the recording here.
Girl activists and advocates participated in a hybrid (in-person and virtual) town hall designed to deliver unscripted and authentic dialogue between policymakers, girl allies, and girl leaders working for the fulfillment of girls’ rights. In a candid, girl-led conversation among girl activists and distinguished members of the U.N. community, girls shared their perspectives and experiences and had a dialogue with policymakers around progress for girls’ rights.
It was an excellent opportunity to
– hear girls calling for a retrospective on the progress made for girls’ rights
– listen to girls’ continued demands for change
– think through how to push for further accountability for girls’ rights
We were deeply grateful to be joined by Meta Stephens (Nerinx ’20, Fordham ’24), who volunteered with Loretto at the UN for the afternoon!