The message was simple: girls rights are human rights. The call to action was clear: urge Canadians to rally behind the girl movement through Plan Canada’s Because I am a Girl initiative. The result: overwhelming Canadian support for the cause, leading the United Nations to declare October 11 the International Day of the Girl.
We were proud to provide strategic counsel and communications support to Plan to help create a grassroots movement that inspired “ordinary Canadians” to create change. Proactive media relations and a series of critical events helped create awareness of the initiative and importance of girls’ rights. National momentum led to the Honourable Rona Ambrose, Canadian minister for the status of women, who – working with MPs from all parties – helped pass a unanimous, all-party motion declaring that Canada would lead the effort and propose a UN Resolution. Then, Minister Ambrose took a Canadian delegation to the UN to garner support, resulting in its final adoption.
The first International Day of the Girl took place on October 11, 2012, and year after year will continue to inspire and shape real, tangible progress on issues that affect girls around the world.