Global Girl Leaders Advisory Group
Working with UNICEF to amplify the importance of girl-led policy and programming.
The Global Girl Leaders Advisory Group was formed in March 2023 as a group of adolescent girls and young women aged 15 – 24 who work together in partnership with UNICEF to amplify the importance of girl-centred, girl-led policy and programming. Girl Strategy Leaders were nominated from 10 countries where UNICEF is rolling out new programming with and for adolescent girls as part of UNICEF’s Adolescent Girls Programme Strategy. The group advocates for adolescent girls’ rights, empowerment and leadership across a whole range of issues that affect girls today – from child marriage, gender-based violence, access to education and climate change, to teenage pregnancy, poverty, the unfair care burden and girls’ needs in humanitarian crisis. They also provide advice and feedback on UNICEF’s work with and for adolescent girls, including policy, advocacy, programming and overall strategy.
Sajra, 17
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Sajra is passionate about programming and UI/UX design, while she completes her third year of high school with a focus on informational technologies. She spends her free time attending internships, reading (especially crime and psychological thriller books), sports, debates, and in nature with her friends and family. Sajra likes to spend time volunteering, learning programming, and participating in workshops and hackathons. Whenever she gets the chance, Sajra encourages young girls to break gender gaps and to confidently study whatever they’re truly interested in.
Esmirna, 21
Dominican Republic
Esmirna is doing a degree in Social Communication and is passionate about change through multimedia. She envisions a world where everyone has better access to information, and where girls are free to dream big and attain a better quality of life. In 2022, Esmirna won the National Youth Award in the Contributions to Childhood, Adolescence and Youth Human Rights category. This is the highest award offered by the Dominican state to young people for their merits and for collaborating with the vulnerable sectors. In 2023, Esmirna was selected by the US Embassy in the Dominican Republic to represent her country in the SUSI program for Afro-Latina and indigenous women. As a member of the UNICEF Global Girl Leaders Advisory Group, Esmirna hopes to continue impacting more girls in her country and to collaborate with other girls around the world.
Raghad, 20
Egypt
Raghad is a student of agriculture. She first participated in Dawwie – the National Girls’ Empowerment Initiative when she was 17 years old and has since returned as a facilitator. She greatly values the training she received and loves seeing other young girls speaking up, being confident, and leading change in their communities. Raghad has also trained on gender with the Southern Free Association and volunteered with them to understand more about girls' rights. Raghad was part of a project to prepare young leaders with the Change Makers Foundation, and became an ambassador for a programme on dialogue with the Evangelical Coptic Church, as well as a trainer in the youth challenge with the Ministry of Youth and Sports. She developed her skills further with the Azza Fahmy Foundation and trained to strengthen the capacities of women leaders. She participated in COP27, smart green entrepreneurship training and the LCOY conference. Her aspiration is to support girls for them to have the life they aspire to and deserve.
Eliana (Eli), 20
Indonesia
Eli is a Mitra Muda Youth Network Member with UNICEF Indonesia. She is a strong advocate on a wide range of child rights topics, including child marriage prevention, violence against girls, climate and education/skills for girls. Eli was raised in a strongly religious family and is a sexual violence survivor. Eli advocates for girls’ rights through the Child Forum (Forum Anak) in her district and she is working on climate change issues with SkolaKualaManado. She is currently a project officer in the Education Division, where she promotes environmental education, disaster risk reduction and encourages young people, especially girls, to become leaders in climate action. She conducted three festivals about the preservation of water resources in collaboration with SkolaKualaManado and the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing of the Republic of Indonesia.
Makadidia, 17
Mali
Makadidia advocates for the right of girls to education and is committed to the fight against gender-based violence, particularly child marriage. With the support of UNICEF, Makadidia has benefited from capacity building in advocacy and digital communication for the promotion of children's rights. Makadidia participated in the two seasons of the globally broadcast UNICEF series “Coping with COVID-19”, an opportunity for her to advocate for the rights of girls. In 2022, on International Day of the Girl, Makadida represented all girls in Mali and alerted her country's leaders to the situation of the girl child in Mali. This year's theme, she said, gives her the opportunity to advocate for the education of girls and their retention in school.
Wijdane, 22
Morocco
Wijdane is a graduate of Mohamed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P). She holds a Master's degree in Political Science and is working for UNICEF Morocco as a Young United Nations Volunteer in the field of Child and Adolescent Participation. She is in charge of the Adolescents' and Young People's Participatory Committee (CPAJ), which reflects the priority UNICEF gives to the participation and involvement of children and young people, especially girls, in the programmes and policies that affect them. She is currently working on a one year project dedicated to girls' rights, especially the right to education and to participation. She is a G20 ambassador for the Italian Institute of International Political Studies in Milan (ISPI-Istituto per gli Studi di Politica Internazionale). During her studies, she was active in university clubs such as the African ID club at UM6P, where she was the first secretary general when it was set up. Wijdane also has experience volunteering internationally with several organizations, including The Black & Minority Ethnic Community Partnership in the UK and remotely with Africa in Motion, which is based in the Netherlands.
Aisha, 14
Nigeria
Aisha is an adolescent girl's champion for UNICEF Nigeria, and an advocate for providing opportunities for adolescents to develop skills and flourish. Her remarkable journey commenced at the tender age of 12. Aisha's impactful approach involves amplifying the voices of adolescent girls in Nigeria through her profound poems, which she shares passionately with her peers in school clubs.
Collaborating with UNICEF, Aisha has been actively engaged in various advocacy initiatives, notably participating in events such as the International Day of the Girl in 2022, the Climate Education Conference in 2023, and Menstrual Health Hygiene Day in the same year. Embracing the belief that she and her fellow adolescent girls possess the capacity to be solution-providers, she strives to empower them to create a positive impact on the future.
Beyond her advocacy work, Aisha nurtures a diverse range of interests, including poetry, storytelling, music, and spending quality time with her friends. To her, every adolescent girl harbors dreams and envisions a future filled with promise, and given the chance, they are fully capable of transforming that vision into a reality of positive change.
Jackeline, 21
Peru
Jackeline is a member of the Commission of Adolescent Women Leaders of Metropolitan Lima - Peru (La Comulia) and a trained journalist. For the past 4 years, she has been involved in activism to promote the rights of children within communities of vulnerable boys and girls in districts of East Lima. Currently, with "La Comulia," she works hand in hand with girls and adolescents to empower them through the creation of spaces for participation, addressing topics such as comprehensive sexual education, forced child marriages, gender violence, sexual and reproductive rights, among others. Her motto is, "Everything with the adolescents, nothing without the adolescents."
Yasmin, 17
Tajikistan
Yasmin is a passionate artist dedicated to volunteering for various causes. Her journey began at the Gender Inequality School, where she engaged in understanding the complexities of gender dynamics and actively collaborated with peers to devise innovative solutions. With unwavering commitment, Yasmin participated in the Girls Empowerment boot camp, immersing herself in diverse topics ranging from self-care and mental well-being to education. Through her dynamic contributions, active engagement, and enthusiastic advocacy, Yasmin embodies a vision of inclusivity and equity for the future.
Alliyah, 21
United States
Alliyah is a student and youth advocate. Alliyah’s advocacy focuses on education equity and international gender equality. She is the founder of Cultivate Global Education, an initiative dedicated to removing international educational barriers through an equitable framework. She recently spoke at The United Nations Foundation Transforming Education Summit about the importance of investing in girls’ education. Alliyah was one of 12 young people invited by UNICEF Innocenti to The Leading Minds Conference of 2022, in Italy to discuss positive childhood identities. Alliyah served as the ‘19-’20 Teen Advisor for Girl Up, an initiative through the UNF where she received the Girl Hero Award alongside Tarana Burke, Shonda Rhimes, and Dolores Huerta. Alliyah spoke on behalf of UNICEF at the Sustainable Development Goals Action Zone in 2020. She is excited to work with UNICEF’s Global Girl Leaders Advisory Group.
