UN UPDATE BY CHARNDRÉ EMMA KIPPIE
UNICEF:
Driving Action & Accountability The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) highlights its Advocacy and Communications Toolkit
O
n Monday, 11 October, the world will commemorate International Day of the Girl Child 2021. This year’s theme has been announced as: Digital generation. Our generation’ - a call to action for bolstering equal access to the internet and digital devices for girls across the world. A key focus for UN Africa, is the number of disadvantaged girls who are not able to exercise their fundamental human rights. Gender and age discrimination are at the centre of the violation of girls’ rights. Therefore, we must work towards enabling profound
social transformation. With this social transformation comes access. We must emphasise the need to take action and accountability for and with girls to bridge the digital gender divide affecting girls, especially in Africa.
The UNICEF family is overcoming significant barriers to respond to the biggest global crisis in nearly a century It is critical that our society ensures that girls, in developing countries specifically, are included in all digital
26 | Public Sector Leaders | October 2021
transformation efforts. If not, these youths will get left behind as a result of the digital divide. The Advocacy and Communications Toolkit In coordination with International Day of the Girl Child this year, comes the launch of UNICEF’s Advocacy and Communications Toolkit. This Toolkit provides a set of practical tools to help UNICEF staff and Partners in the development and management of their advocacy work, and provide readers with ideas for driving change. This year, UNICEF is using the Generation
