As the world marks the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration, the global community must take action and be bold in realizing our collective vision of a gender-equal world by intentionally investing in and advancing a girl-centered approach to development. We believe that girls should be front and center at driving solutions to the problems they face, thereby increasing the pipeline of women leaders, entrepreneurs and changemakers for tomorrow.

The Girl-Centered Skills Development: A Learning Agenda (lead author Kate Plourde, FHI 360), a collaboration between UNICEF and FHI 360, launched in time for the International Day of the Girl — a celebration of the diversity, strength and resilience of girls around the world. This year, the celebration came in the midst of global uncertainty – the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the lives and opportunities of millions of girls and women around the world and threatens to roll back decades of gains.

To transform their own lives, girls need the skills demanded of them by the 21st century — skills in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), digital technologies and social entrepreneurship, as well as transferrable skills such as problem solving, negotiation and communication. They need learning environments that are safe, inspiring, relevant and meaningful with opportunities to set their agendas, engage with mentors and role models, and build strong networks.

Read the full article about girl-centered technology programs by Sagri Singh, Andrea M. Bertone, and Natasha Harris-Harb, at degrees.