AGIP at WD2023: Our Event Summary Reports are ready!

On 18 July 2023, through an intergenerational dialogue hosted by adolescent girls, we brought together adolescent girls, young feminist-led organisations, donors, researchers, and intermediary civil society organisations to identify challenges, showcase innovative solutions, and workshop what needs to shift to make funding more accessible for adolescent girls and young feminist-led initiatives.

The conversations at the event highlighted once again that adolescent girls and young feminists are at the forefront of responding to crises and inequalities that affect them and their communities. Despite the large number of youths globally, they represent a demographic that is chronically underfunded – and the more marginalised their intersecting identities are, the lower the funding seems to go. Yet, funding adolescent girls and young feminists and interventions that target them holistically is the only way we stand a chance atachieving SDG 5 – Gender Equality.

Facilitated by young people, the session on 19 July 2023 showcased approaches to achieving accountability for adolescent girls and young women in all their diversity. We heard from diverse stakeholders on challenges, solutions, and commitments which advance power being shifted to adolescent girls - nothing about them, without them.

We once again heard loud and clear that adolescent girls and young women challenge power-holders in their communities and countries to do better every day, aroundthe globe. Yet, their participation in policy-making processes is often tokenistic, and at worst non-existent. If decision-makers are serious about designing policies and interventions that have lasting and sustainable impact, they must ensure that adolescent girls and young women are at the centre of the development process – and engaged in a meaningful and participatory way. Whilst young activists will continue to claim their rights, it is up to power-holders to transform exclusivesystems from within so that power-sharing becomes a reality and engagement for young people is done by design.