FORUM: "End child marriage and invest in girls’ rights." International Day of the Girl Child 2026. This year’s theme was developed through consultations with girls, girls’ organizations and girl-led networks as well as civil society organizations and United Nations partners. Together, they called for urgent action to end child marriage and invest in girls’ rights – our 2026 theme. Being a girl should never determine what you can do, where you can go or who you can become. Yet for millions of girls across the world, it still does. Despite decades of progress, too many girls continue to face discrimination, violence, poverty and conflict that deny them their rights, restrict their choices and limit their opportunities. Investing in girls is one of the most powerful ways to build healthier families, stronger communities and more resilient societies. But too many girls are still being left behind. According to UNICEF’s 2026 estimates, an estimated one in five girls are married before age 18 across the world, representing approximately 650 million women and girls alive today who were married in childhood. Nearly one in four ever married or partnered girls aged 15-19 have experienced intimate partner violence in their lifetime. Crisis, conflict and displacement continue to increase the risk of child marriage, sexual violence and maternal mortality for girls. Girls aged 15-19 are twice as likely as boys to not be in education, employment or training. In fragile, conflict and violence-affected contexts girls are nearly 90 per cent more likely to be out of secondary school than girls in stable contexts – increasing their risk of child marriage. The good news is that change is possible. We know what works - and investing in girls is one of the most effective ways to accelerate progress. Every girl deserves a childhood. Every girl deserves the freedom to learn, to grow, to make her own choices and to define her own future. Yet millions of girls are still denied that freedom. Each year, more than 12 million girls - roughly one every three seconds - are married before reaching adulthood, with the highest prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa (31 per cent). Child marriage remains one of the most widespread violations of girls’ rights, denying millions of girls the chance to stay in school, protect their health, live free from violence and fulfil their potential. It can have severe and lasting consequences for girls' physical and mental health, increasing risks of social isolation, anxiety and emotional distress at a time when self-harm remains one of the leading causes of death among adolescent girls aged 15-19 globally. But this is not inevitable. Thanks to investments in girls’ education, legal reform and social protection, an estimated 68 million child marriages have been averted over the past 25 years, proving that progress is possible when girls are supported and their rights are protected. We have the solutions: keeping girls in school; expanding access to health, protection and social services; working with families and communities to challenge harmful norms; investing in girls’ rights and supporting their leadership. Now we must go further - and faster. It is in our power to ensure that every girl, everywhere, can realize her rights and fulfil her potential. For when girls are safe, educated and empowered, they don’t just transform their own lives, they help build healthier families, stronger communities and more peaceful, prosperous societies. This International Day of the Girl, stand with girls. Raise your voice for girls’ rights. Champion the solutions that help girls stay in school, stay safe and shape their own futures, especially in crisis and humanitarian settings. Challenge the harmful norms that continue to drive child marriage in communities around the world. Advocate for laws, policies and investments that prevent child marriage and uphold girls' rights. Amplify girls' voices and leadership, ensuring girls are part of the decisions that affect their lives and futures. Together we can end child marriage and ensure every girl has the freedom to choose her own future - and the opportunity to thrive. Follow the conversation #StandUp4HumanRights, #DayoftheGirl, #IDGxWGG, #transformingourfuture, #11DaysofAction, #Investingingirlchild, #InternationalDayoftheGirlChild, #EducationForAll.
CAMPAIGN: 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 to go to school, continue my studies as far as I wish and learn regardless of race, religion or country or origin.
Panel discussion on the theme "Investing in Girl Child – Transforming Our Future." to bring together voices from diverse regions to reflect on how far this journey has come and how much further it must go to truly empower girls.
Meetings & Events
In celebration of the 2026 International Day of the Girl Child, this year's Speak Out will be a powerful platform for girl leaders in all their diversity to engage in an open, candid dialogue with policy makers, including Member States and UN agencies, around the theme: "Girls Speak Out: Advancing Equality, Accelerating Action"
The discussion will focus on key issues affecting girls, such as their participation in social and political life, their education, eliminating all forms of violence and discrimination against them, championing their leadership in the climate crisis, and financing for the realization of their rights.
Meetings & Events
