International Day of the Girl theme 2024 ‘Unite for Peace’
13 December 2024This year’s Plan International event to celebrate International Day of the Girl 2024 in Ghana, reflected and explored this year’s theme 'Unite for Peace'.
As part of promoting and advancing the rights of children and young people, with a special focus on achieving equality for girls, Plan International Ghana organised an event to celebrate International Day of the Girl (IDG). The IDG celebration took place under the theme, “Unite for Peace”.
Speaking at the event, the Country Director of Plan International Ghana, Constant Tchona, said their goal for this year’s IDG is to ensure “girls and all civilian rights are protected during conflict”, indicating that it is a perfect time to call for peace, as Ghana approaches its general election on December 7, 2024.
Promoting the rights of girls
He stated that as a build-up to the IDG, Plan International Ghana has been working to promote the rights of girls through initiatives like the She Leads Project’s Girl-Friendly manifesto and the advocacy campaign on the “No Pad Tax Campaign” which led to the removal of taxes on locally produced sanitary pads.
According to Mr. Tchona, the collective effort with other partners has also led to the passage of the Affirmative Action Bill, now the Affirmative Action (Gender Equality) Law, which seeks to promote the progressive and active participation of women in public life, increasing from a minimum of 30% to 50% by 2030, in line with the United Nation’s sustainable development goal of achieving gender equality by 2030.
The Girl Takeover initiative, which has empowered placed 1,000 girls in positions of power worldwide since 2016, challenges stereotypes and promotes gender equality by allowing girls to step into leadership roles. This year’s IDG is enriched with diverse activities such as, raising awareness through social media, mentoring over 1000 girls in science technology engineering and mathematics, career development and leading girls into media discussions.
Unite for peace
National Director of World Vision Ghana Laura Christina Del Valle, said the theme, ‘Unite for Peace’ conveys the need to address girls’ challenges, promote girls’ empowerment and protect girls’ human rights. Chief of education for UNICEF Ghana, Christin McConnell appreciated Plan International Ghana for organising the ‘She Leads’ conference, advocating that, the rights of girls must be protected. She mentioned that, to ensure a better future for girls, they must invest in their education, protect their rights and provide them with the resources they need to achieve.
Mr. Tchona urged governments, stakeholders, as well as decision-makers around the world to take immediate action for girls in conflict areas by implementing ceasefires, engaging in meaningful peace talks, and ensuring that girls and young people’s voices are heard and their needs are met.
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