The United States joins the global community in recognizing the International Day of the Girl and reaffirms our commitment to advancing the rights and empowerment of girls and young women in all their diversity.

Around the world, girls disproportionately experience the negative impacts of climate-related disasters; conflicts and humanitarian crises; and have lost years of education due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The rise of technology-facilitated gender-based violence has had dire consequences for their mental health and for their willingness to engage in public spaces; child, early, and forced marriage continues to affect more than 1 in 5 girls globally; female genital mutilation and cutting continues despite laudatory efforts to curb its practice through legislation; and barriers to accessing education and health information and care persist.

Girls continue to face down these barriers to create positive change across the globe. Today, the Department of State, in collaboration with the U.S. Agency for International Development, is proud to launch the Women’s and Girls’ Civic and Political Participation Strategy. This strategy details U.S. government commitments to address the barriers to participation faced by adolescent girls in particular and to increase their access to civic education and leadership development opportunities.

The United States stands firm in our commitment to elevate the voices and human rights of all girls and invest in a future that promotes their rights, leadership, and well-being.