On World Population Day and in anticipation of France's presidency of the G7 in 2019, the NGO Equipop is calling on the President of the Republic to make girls' rights the main theme of this summit and to set an example by making ambitious financial commitments. This petition will be presented to Emmanuel Macron on International Day of the Girl Child, October 11, 2018.
Equipop is mobilizing citizens to call on the President of the Republic through a petition entitled "Mr. President, girls' rights must be the priority of the G7 in 2019!"
Last June, the G7 Summit, chaired by Canada, broke new ground by making gender equality a cross-cutting theme in all discussions. For the first time since the 2008 financial crisis, financial commitments were made, particularly in favor of education for women and girls. While these announcements are to be welcomed, investment must be extended to all sectors, as the resolution of the education issue requires other issues to be taken into account. In particular, the lack of schooling for girls is closely linked to the failure to respect sexual and reproductive rights and health. Even today, less than a third of girls in West Africa reach secondary school. However, progress in West African education systems is significantly slowed by factors such as high rates of unwanted pregnancies and early marriages, which force young girls to drop out of school. The challenge is therefore to build on the positive momentum that emerged at the Canadian G7 summit by placing particular emphasis on the rights of girls, who often suffer double discrimination because of their age and gender. However, when their rights are respected, all studies show that their contribution to the development process is very significant.
This petition is part of a broader mobilization of French and international civil society in favor of mainstreaming and institutionalizing gender issues within the G7 bodies, beyond the Canadian and French presidencies alone.
Press contacts: Nathalie Perrotin-Milla – Equipop nathalie.perrotin@equipop.org – +33 (0)1 85 08 05 19
Notes to editors: Since 1993, Equipop has been working on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) issues in West Africa by mobilizing political leaders, promoting pilot projects, and supporting local civil society. In West Africa, we lead a consortium of 21 associations in six countries (Benin, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, and Senegal). As leader of the Gender Commission of Coordination SUD, we also advocate for the inclusion of gender and SRHR for women and girls in French foreign policy, as well as at the European level and in UN forums (Commission on the Status of Women, Commission on Population and Development).
