We are proud to partner with UNICEF to strengthen girls’ resilience to climate change and support their leadership on climate and gender issues.
In 2022, WAGGGS and UNICEF collaborated on the global U-Report consultation Bring in the Girls, which gathered the views of over 33,000 young people aged 10–25 from more than 90 countries. The findings provided evidence for global climate advocacy led by girls and young women and laid the foundation for a partnership between WAGGGS and AKO Foundation, focused on building girls’ climate resilience, agency and leadership. Girl-Led Action on Climate Change (GLACC) was then launched.
Building on this, the current partnership between WAGGGS and UNICEF aims to equip girls and young women with the tools, skills, confidence and knowledge to reach their full potential and take action on the issues that affect them. A key focus is supporting girls to understand the impacts of climate change, strengthen their resilience and advocate for gender equality in climate agendas at local, national and international levels.
Together, WAGGGS and UNICEF are expanding GLACC to Uganda. The programme will also be enhanced with community action and advocacy components across Madagascar, Rwanda and Tanzania. Using non-formal education, girls will take part in training that increases their knowledge of climate change and builds their ability to lead community-based solutions.
Additionally, they will receive support to design and deliver local action projects and to advocate for change through public campaigns and decision-making spaces. They will also have access to opportunities for coaching, mentoring and skills development to strengthen their confidence and leadership.
Through UNICEF’s Youth Advocacy Guide (YAG) and Yoma platform, young women aged 18+ who participate in WAGGGS’ YESS Girls’ Movement will become effective climate change advocates through experiential learning, peer inspiration and opportunities for learning to earning within the Yoma ecosystem.
By combining local action with global tools and networks, the partnership supports girls and young women to be leaders in building climate-resilient and gender-equal communities.
About UNICEF
UNICEF is the United Nations agency responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental support to children worldwide. It works across more than 190 countries and territories to uphold the rights of every child. UNICEF supports programmes that ensure children and young people have the tools and opportunities they need to thrive, including through climate action, gender equality and youth engagement initiatives.
Find out more about GLACC here.