The NGO Committee on UNICEF:
Working Group on Girls (WGG)


The following info excerpt was taken directly from the NGO Committee Working Group on Girls Website (WGG).


What is the NGOC Working Groups on Girls?

In 1993 two Working Groups on Girls (WGGs) were established as part of a growing international movement to support the human rights of girls and give voice to their issues.

The NGO Working Groups on Girls (WGGs) are two groups of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), associated with UNICEF and the NGO Committee on the Status of Women, based in New York and Geneva. They have joined together to continue their work for the rights and future of girls.

The WGGs comprise over 80 International and national NGOs working in more than 100 countries at the grassroots level. Here is a a list of the WGG NGO Member Organizations.

WGGs activities support three principal objectives:

- to build an international network of grassroots NGOs that advocate for girls' rights;
- to promote the active participation of girls as agents of change in their own lives, families, communities and societies;
- to urge governments to honor their commitments to girls.

WGG Advocacy and Communication:

The WGGs have participated in numerous UN and other national and international Conferences where they have made presentations, participated on panels, and organized caucuses and workshops for NGOs and government delegates.

At the Beijing Conference the WGGs contributed to the successful inclusion of a separate section on Girls (Section L) in the Platform for Action.

In 1995 the WGGs created an INfG comprised of international and grassroots NGOs worldwide. Click on the Network icon below.

In 1996 and 1997, The WGGs brought girls' issues to the floor of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) meetings, which was directing its session toward the follow up to Beijing. At the UN Commission on Human Rights, the WGGs raised the issue of girls' rights and before the International Labour Organization, (ILO) they highlighted the invisible nature of girls' work.

In 1998, the WGGs served as the official NGO Task Force on girls at the 42nd Session of the CSW follow-up to Beijing where the "girl child" was one of the four themes addressed. The WGGs prepared position papers and resolutions and organized panel discussions
.
For the agreed conclusions on the girl child click here.

Members of the WGGs continue to advocate for girls through their own international organizations.

WGG Publications:

The WGGs published a major report, "Clearing a Path for Girls: NGOs Report from the Field on Progress since Beijing."

The Report was based on 250 responses to a questionnaire disseminated to NGOs in the field, requesting information on the status of girls and the pace of government action on behalf of girls since Beijing (February 28 - March 11, 2005).

The Report has become an effective organizing tool to expand the INfG (The International Network for Girls) and its advocacy role. It has been widely disseminated throughout the world to NGOs, at international meetings, to UN agencies, to the media, to educational institutions and to individuals. Click "The Network" to find out about the INfG Network.

An abbreviated summary of the WGG Report is available upon request to the WGG. It is based on responses to an earlier questionaire.