The Adolescent Girls Era
Our Moment, Our Power, Our Future
The Girls Deliver Community is a network of 70+ organizations, adolescent and youth advocates advancing adolescent girls’ rights.
Formed at the Women Deliver 2023 Girls Deliver Pre-Conference on Adolescent Girls in Kigali, Rwanda, led by Population Council’s GIRL Center and co-hosted by 18 partners, today the community ensures adolescent girls are seen, heard, funded, and trusted as leaders.
Why This Campaign Matters
Global commitments to adolescent girls are set out in the Beijing Platform for Action (1995) and the International Conference on Population and Development. Over time, human rights standards have strengthened these commitments, creating legal obligations for States to respect, protect, and fulfill girls’ rights.
Nearly three decades later, too many promises remain unmet.
Progress on girls’ rights to health, education, bodily autonomy, and decision-making is uneven. Chronic under-investment, weak political prioritization, and harmful social norms continue to limit opportunity and power at a cost not only to girls, but to societies that lose out on their leadership and potential.
At the same time, weakened multilateral cooperation, major funding cuts, and growing anti-rights movements threaten hard-won gains.
This is the moment for accountability and action. This is The Adolescent Girls Era — a more equal and just future led by adolescent girls.
About The Adolescent Girls Era
The Adolescent Girls Era is a global campaign running through 2030. It calls on governments, funders, civil society, and institutions to deliver on existing commitments and ensure policies and resources center adolescent girls — as demanded by girls themselves.
The campaign is grounded in the Adolescent Girls’ Manifesto: Our Moment, Our Power, Our Future, which affirms that adolescent girls are rights-holders, leaders, and decision-makers — and that their rights are non-negotiable.
We refuse to be tokenized, co-opted, or reduced to statistics.
We refuse to be seen as passive beneficiaries instead of leaders.
It’s time for a new narrative — one written by adolescent girls.
A Visual Artist and a WD2026 Art Program Scholar
What We’re Calling for by 2030
By 2030, governments and institutions must demonstrate concrete progress on existing commitments.
The Adolescent Girls Era calls for:
Accountability
– Policymakers must deliver on their legal, policy, and financial obligations to adolescent girls.
– They must be held accountable when they do not.
Clear Recognition
– Global norms, standards, and policies must explicitly recognize adolescent girls.
– They must be acknowledged as a diverse and distinct constituency of rights-holders.
Adequate Investment
– Girl-focused programs, policies, and organizations must be funded.
– Funding should come through national budgets, ODA, and philanthropy.
– Resources must be transparent and trackable.
Full and Meaningful Leadership
– Adolescent girls must participate fully and equally in global policy spaces.
– They must have real decision-making power — not symbolic inclusion.
How We Will Get There
The Girls Deliver Community will advance these demands through four strategic pillars:
Pillar 1: Political Advocacy to Demand Accountability
– Hold governments accountable for existing commitments.
– Use multilateral and regional spaces, and formal mechanisms under international law.
Pillar 2: Normative Development
– Ensure adolescent girls are explicitly recognized in declarations, policies, and laws.
– Prioritize them for investment and action at global, regional, and national levels.
Pillar 3: Building a Bold Public Campaign
– Mobilize endorsements and public pressure.
– Push political and financial leaders to fulfill their commitments.
Pillar 4: Influencing Funding Streams
– Advocate for increased investment in girls’ rights.
– Improve funding for girl-focused programs from governments and donors.
Join the Adolescent Girls Era
Joining the campaign represents a commitment to advancing girls’ demands in the Girls’ Manifesto and taking action to achieve accountability, political recognition, increased funding, and meaningful girl engagement.
This campaign is an intergenerational shared partnership with and for girls and is based upon the collective action of our ecosystem. To join, pledge one concrete action that advances the campaign’s outcomes (see suggested menu of pledges in the partnership form linked below). Campaign partners will be invited to collaborate on campaign initiatives and requested to amplify the campaign’s demands.
Take Action & Join
Click below to pledge one concrete action that advances the campaign’s outcomes and become part of the Girls Deliver ecosystem.
Join NowThe Adolescent Girls Leaders
This campaign was co-designed with the Girls Deliver community under the leadership of these adolescent girl advocates:
Women Deliver Emerging Leader
Women Deliver Young Leader Alumna and advocate
Humanity Barbados, Programme Coordinator
Member of the Girls Deliver Adolescent Girls Working Group
Women Deliver Emerging Leader
UNICEF Global Girl Leaders Advisory Group Member
Adolescent Girl Advisor, Digital 9 to 1 x 19
Girl Up Teen Advisor
Girl Up UK Trustee, Co-Founder of Cultivate Global Education
Girl Up Girl Advocate
Founder Femishare Foundation, UNFPA GHANA Youth Leader Fellow, Plan International Girl Advocate
Tools to Support Action
To strengthen accountability and coordination, we’ve developed the following resources:
Adolescent Girls Ecosystem Mapping
A mapping of organizations working across the campaign’s four priorities. Developed through the Girls Deliver community with technical leadership from Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence (GAGE).
Explore MappingCommitment Mapping for Adolescent Girls
A consolidated overview of global and regional commitments governments have made to adolescent girls, helping advocates track progress and push for delivery. Created by the Adolescent Girls Investment Plan (AGIP), with input from the Girls Deliver Community.
View CommitmentsThe Community Partners
The below organizations are active members of the Girls Deliver Community:
