{"id":88622,"date":"2025-10-25T07:10:42","date_gmt":"2025-10-25T07:10:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/uncategorized\/girls-of-west-and-central-africa-unite-in-dakar"},"modified":"2025-10-25T07:40:28","modified_gmt":"2025-10-25T07:40:28","slug":"girls-of-west-and-central-africa-unite-in-dakar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/girls-of-west-and-central-africa-unite-in-dakar","title":{"rendered":"Girls of West and Central Africa Unite in Dakar"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Gambia. <\/strong><\/span>In a historic and powerful demonstration of youth leadership, adolescent girls from across West and Central Africa (WCA) convened in Dakar on October 10-11, 2025, for the inaugural Regional Girls\u2019 Summit.<\/b><\/p>\n

Organized by UNICEF and the Government of Senegal, and coinciding with the International Day of the Girl, the summit culminated in the adoption of the \u201cDakar Declaration and Program of Action for Girls in West and Central Africa.\u201d<\/b> This essential roadmap, girl-led<\/b>, demands urgent action from leaders to secure their rights and transform their future.<\/p>\n

Supported by adolescent boys, the girls demonstrated their fervent determination to reshape the narrative for the region\u2019s 75.5 million adolescent girls. This summit marked a crucial turning point, emphasizing that girls, no longer content to be mere beneficiaries, are now at the forefront of change<\/b>.<\/p>\n

A Region Facing Deep-Seated Challenges<\/b><\/p>\n

West and Central Africa continues to grapple with some of the world\u2019s most severe challenges for adolescent girls: limited access to education and health services, pervasive gender-based violence, early marriage, and discriminatory social norms. These issues are exacerbated by climate crises, conflicts, and economic instability.<\/p>\n

Gilles Fagninou<\/b>, UNICEF Regional Director, underscored the severity of the situation: \u201cThe statistics on well-being are the worst when we compare West and Central Africa to other regions of the world.\u201d<\/b> Nevertheless, he insisted on the potential for transformation: \u201cWhere there is a small opportunity for the girl, the return on investment for the community or country, for the region and for the world, has been unparalleled.\u201d<\/b>
\nA Summit Forged by Girls, For Girls<\/b><\/p>\n

This summit distinguished itself through its fundamentally participatory and girl-led approach. National consultations took place across 24 countries, guided by a Girls\u2019 Advisory Group.<\/p>\n

The Dakar Declaration: Six Priority Axes<\/b><\/p>\n

The Declaration firmly articulates six priority action areas, aligned with the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action and Agenda 2063:<\/p>\n

High-Level Commitments: A \u201cBinding Roadmap\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

Leaders reaffirmed their support. Omar Abdi<\/b>, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director, urged for measurable progress: \u201cWe must not leave this meeting and come back after two years to start from where we were but rather have a clear measure of progress.\u201d<\/b>
\nOusmane Sonko<\/b>, Prime Minister of Senegal (through his Minister of Family and Solidarity), made a solemn commitment to widely share the Dakar Declaration within the government, form a reflection committee for its implementation, and called on all states and partners \u201cnot to make it a simple document, but a binding roadmap.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

This commitment was welcomed by the young leaders. Shekina (Congo Brazzaville)<\/b> commented: \u201cThe statement that was read clearly shows that they took it into account. Once in my country, I will continue to raise awareness and motivate girls.\u201d<\/b> Similarly, Sampson W. Tweh (17, Liberia)<\/b> marked a crucial shift in mindset by stating: \u201cThe Summit made me understand that we boys are not supporters of girls but allies.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

The first Regional Girls\u2019 Summit in West and Central Africa is a foundational act. The \u201cDakar Declaration and Program of Action\u201d<\/b> is now a living document that demands resources and solid political will. The urgent call that \u201cgirls\u2019 rights cannot wait\u201d<\/b> signaled the end of rhetoric and the beginning of an era of decisive action, guided by the voice of adolescent girls.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Gambia<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Gambia. In a historic and powerful demonstration of youth leadership, adolescent girls from across West and Central Africa (WCA) convened in Dakar on October 10-11, 2025, for the inaugural Regional Girls\u2019 Summit. Organized by UNICEF and the Government of Senegal, and coinciding with the International Day of the Girl, the summit culminated in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":88620,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3],"tags":[260],"class_list":["post-88622","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-community","tag-gambia"],"yoast_head":"\nGirls of West and Central Africa Unite in Dakar - Gambia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In a historic and powerful demonstration of youth leadership, adolescent girls from across West and Central Africa (W ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/girls-of-west-and-central-africa-unite-in-dakar\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Girls of West and Central Africa Unite in Dakar\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In a historic and powerful demonstration of youth leadership, adolescent girls from across West and Central Africa (W ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/girls-of-west-and-central-africa-unite-in-dakar\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Gambia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-10-25T07:10:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-10-25T07:40:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2025\/10\/sm_1761365343.312534.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1032\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"688\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/girls-of-west-and-central-africa-unite-in-dakar#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/girls-of-west-and-central-africa-unite-in-dakar\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Girls of West and Central Africa Unite in Dakar\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-10-25T07:10:42+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-10-25T07:40:28+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/girls-of-west-and-central-africa-unite-in-dakar\"},\"wordCount\":550,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/girls-of-west-and-central-africa-unite-in-dakar#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2025\/10\/sm_1761365343.312534.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Gambia\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"community\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/girls-of-west-and-central-africa-unite-in-dakar#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/girls-of-west-and-central-africa-unite-in-dakar\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/girls-of-west-and-central-africa-unite-in-dakar\",\"name\":\"Girls of West and Central Africa Unite in Dakar - 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