International Day of the Girl Child
Next: October 11, 2027
Tell her she can be anything.
The story
Where it comes from
On 19 December 2011 the UN General Assembly declared 11 October the International Day of the Girl Child, and the first was held in 2012. The idea came from Plan International's 'Because I am a Girl' campaign: Plan brought girls and young women to the UN's Commission on the Status of Women, and Canada sponsored the resolution. The day builds on the 1995 Beijing Declaration, the first such declaration to call out girls' rights specifically, and it celebrates girls as leaders as well as naming the barriers they face.
How it's celebrated
UN agencies, schools and charities use the day to amplify girls' voices, and each year's theme is developed in consultation with girls and girl-led networks. During Plan International's campaign, famous buildings and landmarks were lit pink for the day. At home it is a day to tell a daughter, niece or student that her ideas matter, and to back the education that lets her choose her own future.
Did you know
- The campaign behind the day began with a visit to a village in Nepal, where a mother explained that her daughter was not in school 'because she is a girl'.
- According to the UN, an estimated 68 million child marriages have been averted over the past 25 years, thanks to investment in girls' education, legal reform and social protection.
- Plan International's 'Because I am a Girl' campaign ran from 2012 to 2018 and supported more than four million girls.
Coming up next
- Luciano Pavarotti's Birthday · October 12, 2027
- International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction · October 13, 2027
- World Sight Day · October 14, 2027
- World Standards Day · October 14, 2027
- Global Handwashing Day · October 15, 2027
- World Food Day · October 16, 2027