The United Nations has celebrated October 11 as the International Day of the Girl since 2012.
The UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 66/170 to recognize the challenges facing girls and set aside the IDG to highlight, discuss, and take action to advance opportunities for girls everywhere: “Empowerment of and investment in girls are key in breaking the cycle of discrimination and violence and in promoting and protecting the full and effective enjoyment of their human rights…”
This year marks the 8th anniversary of International Day of the Girl (IDG). The 2019 theme is “GirlForce: Unscripted and Unstoppable” spotlighting achievements by, with and for girls since the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action twenty-five years ago: “More girls today are attending and completing school, fewer are getting married or becoming mothers while still children, and more are gaining the skills they need to excel in the future world of work… Today, these movements have expanded. They are being organized by and for adolescent girls, and tackling issues like child marriage, education inequality, gender-based violence, climate change, self-esteem, and girls’ rights to enter places of worship or public spaces during menstruation. Girls are proving they are unscripted and unstoppable.”