The G(irls)20 Summit is about galvanizing the world’s greatest resource – girls and women – and cultivating a new generation of leaders through entrepreneurship and education.

Why we care: Young women represent a huge part of the world population, and yet they consistently lack opportunities to engage with global issues and initiate change.

How we’re solving this: By holding a summit for G20 and African Union girl representatives to engage with the same global issues as the G20 Leaders, and return them home ready to put their ideas into action.  

The G(irls)20 Summit brings together one girl from each G20 country and one girl from the African Union on an annual basis just prior to the G20 Leaders meeting.  The agenda is similar to that of the G20 Leaders, but the participants are girls aged 18-20 years.  We discuss the very issues the G20 Leaders are discussing but we do it with a different lens: how do we economically empower girls and women globally so they can contribute to the economic and social growth of their communities and countries. 

At the end of 10 days, through workshops and debate, the delegates are equipped with new skills including:  media and communications, business planning, leadership, technical knowledge, etc.  The Summit culminates in a communique and a delegate-led press conference which provides the G20 leaders with innovative solutions to global challenges.

The delegates return home and put their ideas into action by starting their own initiative to empower girls and women or supporting an already existing program/ partner.  Three Summits have taken place  – Toronto (2010), Paris (2011) and Mexico City (May 2012). The next Summit will take place in Moscow, June 2013.

Join the campaign to cultivate a new generation of female leaders globally. Visit www.girls20summit.com. Apply. Shape the Agenda. Support an initiative. Empower a girl to change the world.