JOINT PRESS RELEASE BY THE CO-HOSTS OF GIRLS DELIVER PRE-CONFERENCE ON ADOLESCENT GIRLS Girls Deliver: Building an Integrated, Feminist Ecosystem to Support Adolescent Girls at the Women Deliver 2023 Conference July 10, 2023 — The Population Council’s GIRL Center, and co-hosts AFIDEP, AMPLIFY Girls, Baobab Research Programme Consortium, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, Coalition for Adolescent Girls, Exemplars in Global Health, FP2030, Girl Effect, Girls First Fund, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, the National Democratic Institute (NDI), Plan International, PMNCH, Purposeful, Together for Girls, UNICEF, Women Deliver, and The World Bank Africa Gender Innovation Lab, are proud to host the “Girls Deliver: Pre-Conference on Adolescent Girls,” on July 16. This one-day global convening of stakeholders representing a variety of perspectives on adolescent lives will take place in Kigali, Rwanda ahead of the Women Deliver 2023 Conference. There are 1.8 billion adolescents and youth around the world today — the largest cohort in history. Adolescents and youth, particularly girls and women in all their diversity, face significant challenges, and the ecosystem of stakeholders supporting them remains fragmented. “The GIRL Center is honored and excited to bring together a diverse set of over 200 actors across the eco-system of adolescent actors. By simultaneously engaging in conversation with one another, listening to the voices of adolescents and reflecting on the data and evidence, we hope to catalyze action that will improve the lives of adolescent girls,” said Karen Austrian, GIRL Center Director at the Population Council. “An event is a strength and beauty when it lies on the diversity of its people. This event is an opportunity to build the tomorrow we want,” said Divina Maloum, an 18-year-old peace activist from Cameroon, who will be speaking at the pre-conference. The pre-conference will provide a dedicated space for multi-sectorial conversations rooted in evidence, especially from adolescents themselves and stakeholders from lower- and middle-income countries. The event will feature renowned champions for adolescents and young people, including Malala Yousafzai, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and Co-Founder of Malala Fund, Vanessa Nakate, climate justice activist and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, and Stacey Abrams, NDI board member, politician, activist, and author. Stakeholders working in the adolescent space from sectors such as education, technology, government, climate, sexual and reproductive health, as well as a mix of advocacy groups, adolescents, activists, program implementers, policy makers, donors, and researchers will participate in the event. The collaborative spirit of this event will foster a multidimensional approach to adolescent well-being, enabling us to co-create next steps to build an integrated feminist ecosystem for young people, and catalyzing action to advance gender equality. The key reflections and takeaways from the event will carry through to the Women Deliver 2023 Conference, adding momentum to the 1.8 Billion Young People for Change campaign and informing the upcoming Global Forum for Adolescents in October 2023. About the Girls Deliver Pre-Conference on Adolescent Girls The Girls Deliver Pre-Conference on Adolescent Girls is an official pre-conference of the Women Deliver 2023 Conference to be held in Kigali, Rwanda. This event is led by the Population Council’s GIRL Center and co-hosted by AFIDEP, AMPLIFY Girls, Baobab Research Programme Consortium, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, Coalition for Adolescent Girls, Exemplars in Global Health, FP2030, Girl Effect, Girls First Fund, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, the National Democratic Institute (NDI), Plan International, PMNCH, Purposeful, Together for Girls, UNICEF, Women Deliver, and The World Bank Africa Gender Innovation Lab. Learn more at https://popcouncil.org/event/girls-deliver-pre-conference-on-adolescent-girls/ About the 1.8 Billion Young People for Change Campaign and Global Forum for Adolescents Youth and adolescent voices must be at the centre of decision-making processes for their own health and well-being, their empowerment and resilience, their education and skills, and their connection with people and the planet. The 1.8 Billion Young People for Change campaign and Global Forum for Adolescents is organized with the support of PMNCH, the largest global alliance advocating for women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health, hosted by the World Health Organization. More information pmnch.who.int, 1point8billion.org, @1point8billion on Instagram/TikTok, @pmnch on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn and 1.8 News on YouTube.

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