POLICY AND ADVOCACY
SPOTLIGHT
Plan International was one of the first organizations to raise the alarm about the global hunger crisis happening in regions of the world already reeling from the effects of COVID-19, climate change and the crisis in Ukraine. In 2022, we scaled up our advocacy work on climate action and climate financing by working alongside partners across the Plan International federation and with key coalitions. We also applied a gender-transformative lens to our work as women and children are disproportionately affected by climate change. Other advocacy priorities included providing education for refugees and displaced children, strengthening of health systems and championing girls’ rights. This connects with another key 2022 highlight: our efforts to influence Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy, which seeks to eradicate poverty and build a more peaceful, inclusive and prosperous world. “Canada firmly believes that promoting gender equality and empowering women and girls is the most effective approach to achieving this goal,” states the policy. “I want everyone to feel inspired and hopeful that despite the challenges happening in the world we can influence change for the better.” – Anjum Sultana, director of youth leadership and policy advocacy at Plan International Canada
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP IN ACTION In May 2022, Lindsay Glassco, president and CEO of Plan International Canada, wrote an op-ed for the Toronto Star about the implications of rising world hunger for children’s and girls’ rights. She was also at the forefront of the work we do with our peer international non- governmental organizations (INGOs) when it came to influencing the Government of Canada agenda to implement strategies for change. “On the heels of the G7 Summit, meetings with parliamentarians are being held to underscore the gravity of the crisis and call on elected officials to champion a global strategy to end the global hunger crisis,” wrote Glassco.
We know that girls who complete secondary school are better equipped to become healthier, more prosperous adults, but the pandemic has put more than 11 million girls at risk of not returning to school. And one in three of all out-of-school children live in countries affected by emergencies. In March 2022, we participated in the Together for Learning Summit: Engaging Displaced Youth to Transform Education, which was hosted by Global Affairs Canada. Together for Learning When you bring youth’s voices together, change happens.
Plan International Bangladesh staff members join #ClimateStrike march in Dhaka
NEWS FEED – NEW YORK GLOBAL MOVES!
Minister Harjit Sajjan with Member of Parliament Arielle Kayabaga in Senegal
$67.2 million was allocated by Minister Sajjan during the summit to support education for displaced children and youth. Canada, including members of our youth council, to connect with youth from around the world and helped raised the profile of the youth manifesto to address education for refugee and displaced youth. and shared commitments to ensure the meaningful participation of youth in global efforts to address the impacts of conflict and crises on children and youth. The “by youth, for youth” panel hosted by Plan International Canada featured Anojitha, a youth activist and member of the Refugee Education Council, who shared her experiences from Sri Lanka. The panel enabled young people in
WHAT IT WAS The summit was part of the three-year Together for Learning campaign, which was designed to promote quality education and lifelong learning for children and youth who are refugees or who have been displaced from their communities due to violence or natural disasters. During the summit Plan International Canada hosted a youth-led discussion to learn from the experiences of displaced youth and to engage with them as problem solvers and decision makers. included a call to action for governments, civil society, multilateral organizations and the private sector. Consultations with participating governments also led to a summit-outcome document that was a response to the manifesto. It outlines concrete actions to advance education HOW IT WENT The youth released a manifesto that
In March, Anjum Sultana, director of youth leadership and policy advocacy at Plan International Canada, was selected to be part of Canada’s delegation at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women session in New York. She was there to advocate for climate solutions that empower young people and dismantle the root causes of gender inequality. “Being able to influence from the inside is a career experience that you dream about,” she says. “It was also inspiring to collaborate with Plan International colleagues. We’re one of the few organizations that blend children’s rights with climate action.” Sultana met with other activists, including one young woman who said she was “just super passionate to breathe clean air.” “Isn’t that what we all want?” Sultana asks. “Being at Plan International and being part of the ripple that helps make that happen is worthwhile and inspiring.”
NEWS FEED – CANADA AT THE TABLE
On October 26, 2021, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Harjit Sajjan was Canada’s new Minister of International Development. The former Minister of National Defence enlisted in the Canadian Armed Forces when he was 19 and became the first Sikh Canadian to command an Armed Forces regiment. Ever since Sajjan assumed his new portfolio, Plan International Canada has played a prominent role in stakeholder round tables and meetings with the minister to highlight key issues facing girls and women around the world, including sexual and reproductive health and rights, gender equality and education.
OUR POLICY AND ADVOCACY EFFORTS:
Lead conversations and advance policy- advocacy goals related to girls’ rights and participation Influence legislation Advocate that greater financial resources be invested for key gender equity issues Create environments for gender equality to thrive Scale up positive change and reach more people to make them aware of and get them engaged in our mission to build a just world that advances children’s rights and equality for girls.
READ OUR CLIMATE CHANGEMAKERS’ TOOLKIT
78 | 2022 Annual Report
2022 Annual Report | 79
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