Global: 21 Voices of Hope to the G20 Leaders

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

The future is full of peace building and progress if girls around the world can play a larger role in leading the way. The big headline coming out of the Girls20Summit last week is that keeping girls and women safe and supporting them in education, leadership and business is not just a matter of equality - it is smart economics.

According to the World Bank and other experts, when investments are made to improve the lives of girls and women everyone wins. Research shows that she will not only improve her own situation - she will also improve the lives of her family and community.

With only 24 hours to meet as a group, the delegates of the Girls20Summit worked together to create one set of ideas that they hope the G20 world leaders will look at when they meet next week, November 3 and 4 in Cannes, France. The “communique” is built on four important messages:

1)Half of the world are girls and women and so it follows that more women should be leading governments and more money should go to making women part of the economy.

2)Girls and women must have the same opportunity of going to school as boys and men in their community.

3)If girls and women are going to do their part for a better world they need to stay healthy and have safe and proper health care - particularly around having babies.

4)More than half the girls and women around the world are not safe. World leaders have to do more to make sure that girls and women can go to school and work without fear of violence and harm.

You can read the full communique in English or in French.

Imagine a world where girls and women...

_________________________________________________

21 Voices of Hope

Girls20Summit 2011

Find your delegate

African Union................. Lilian Kathiri M’Nkubitu

Argentina........................ Carolina Valeria López

Australia......................... Claire Catherine Poyser

Brazil............................... Raquel Helen Santos Silva

Canada............................. Hanan Dhanani

China................................ Yin-Yin Lo