Past Summits

Girls Speak Out 2025: Bold, Diverse, and Unstoppable

Thank You for Joining Girls Speak Out 2025!

On 10 October 2025, Girls Speak Out returned to the ECOSOC Chamber at UN Headquarters for a hybrid, advocacy-focused convening co-designed and co-led by girls. Under the theme "We are Here: Bold, Diverse, and Unstoppable – Demanding Action for Girls' Rights," girl leaders joined Member States, UN agencies, and civil society in an intergenerational dialogue grounded in shared accountability and transformative action.

Honoring the 30th anniversaries of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the World Programme of Action for Youth, the program featured two townhall panels: "Girls on the Frontline of Crisis – Protection, Peace and Power" and "From Margins to Power – Girls Defying Discrimination and Reclaiming Identity." The event concluded with reflections and recommitments to action from both girls and policymakers.

This event was hosted by the Working Group on Girls in collaboration with UNICEF, UN Women, UNFPA, and the Permanent Missions of Canada, Costa Rica, Peru, and Türkiye to the United Nations.

Revisit Girls Speak Out 2024: IDG Summit & Global Days of Action

Thank You for Joining Girls Speak Out 2024!

Girls Speak Out 2024 introduced an expanded format to strengthen girl-led advocacy inside the United Nations and across communities worldwide. In recognition of the upcoming 30th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action—and the unfinished work to fully realize girls' rights—the summit created new opportunities for girl activists and their peers to lead, learn, and advocate.

The event featured a 90-minute intergenerational townhall bringing together girl activists, Member State representatives, and UN agencies for authentic dialogue on the current gaps in girls' rights. Following the townhall, girl activists facilitated hands-on learning labs where participants built practical advocacy skills in small groups, with virtual attendees joining via Zoom breakout rooms.

The year also saw the launch of the Girls Speak Out Playbook—a guide for girl-led and girl-centered organizations to host local, national, or regional Girls Speak Outs in their own communities—alongside the 11 Days of Action digital advocacy campaign (October 1–11), amplifying a different theme each day tied to girls' rights.

This event was sponsored by the Working Group on Girls, the Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations, the Permanent Mission of Peru to the United Nations, the Permanent Mission of Türkiye to the United Nations, UN Women, UNICEF, and UNFPA.

Watch the 2023 IDG Summit: Investing in Girls' Rights

Thank You for Joining Girls Speak Out 2023!

On 10 October 2023, the Working Group on Girls hosted the 11th annual Girls Speak Out in the ECOSOC Chamber at UN Headquarters. Drawing on the IDG theme "Invest in Girls' Rights: Our Leadership & Wellbeing," girl activists and girl advocates participated in a hybrid townhall designed to deliver unscripted, authentic dialogue between policymakers and girl leaders in all their diversity and intersectional identities.

In candid, girl-led conversations, girls shared how they are impacted by the continuing neglect and under-investment in girls' rights and asked direct questions of policymakers about the resources needed to reach their full potential and contribute to the 2030 Agenda. The townhall also included video submissions from girls who could not attend live, enhancing participation and broadening the global dialogue. Distinguished members of the UN community and commitment makers aligned with Generation Equality and the Sustainable Development Goals responded to the statements and questions put forth by girls and spoke to how the United Nations can commit to supporting girls' call for accountability.

This event was sponsored by the Working Group on Girls, the Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations, the Permanent Mission of Peru to the United Nations, the Permanent Mission of Türkiye to the United Nations, UN Women, UNICEF, and UNFPA