A global campaign to make 22 September the International Day of the Girl gains momentum.  ON 22^nd September 2011, MEP Edite Estrela, Vice Chair of the Women’s Rights and Gender Equality committee in the European Parliament, together with four other MEPs launched a Written Declaration in the European Parliament calling on the EU to support this initiative when it is presented to the United Nations next month and voted on in December.

WAGGGS is supporting this campaign at global level, and at European level, in co-operation with Plan International and the European Parliamentary Forum on Development we took part in the European Week of Action for Girls in the European Parliament when the Written Declaration was launched. We believe an International day of the Girl will focus the world’s attention on the importance of girls’ rights, the inequalities girls face and opportunities to raise awareness to ensure that girls get the investment and recognition they deserve as citizens and as powerful agents of change within their own families, communities and nations.  However a majority of MEPs must sign the Written Declaration for it to come into effect, and we would like to request your assistance in contacting MEPs you feel may be sympathetic to signing the Written Declaration, particularly those with whom you already have some contact, to seek their support.

To help the process, please find here a template letter explaining the reasons why it is important to have an International Day of the Girl which you can send to request their support.  Also attached is the text of the Written Declaration (which is also available in all 27 EU languages here) to enclose with the letter.  You can find a list of MEPS by country and their contact details here and you can check who has already signed the declaration here.

We do hope you will be able to support this initiative.

Please contact the Europe Office at  if you have any questions, to let us know about any action you decide to take and any reply you receive.