Gen Z raises voice for gender equality on International Women’s Day

PRESS RELEASE

Plan International USA partners with brands and policymakers to reaffirm girls’ rights

WASHINGTON, DC, March 7, 2023 — As a girls’ rights organization, Plan International USA believes when girls lead the way, they can change the world. In honor of International Women’s Day on March 8, Plan is partnering with brands and government stakeholders so that girls can take over positions of leadership, ensuring the voices of these young women and girls are heard in the critical conversations on gender equality.

“Girls and young women are leaders today,” Plan International USA’s President & CEO Shanna Marzilli said. “Giving girls, in all their diversity, not just a seat at the table, but a respected and heard position is necessary to building a world where women can thrive in all aspects of leadership.”

In celebration of International Women’s Day, Plan partnered with Bank of Montreal, UNIQLO and Vertex to host Takeovers, where our youth leaders, ranging from ages 16-22, step into executive positions for a day. Plan Youth Advisory Board member Rose became chief administrative officer and general counsel of Fast Retailing USA, Inc, the parent company to UNIQLO. During her Takeover experience, Rose leveraged her experiences leading diversity and inclusion recruitment for Plan’s youth programs to provide recommendations for UNIQLO’s women’s networking group. The Takeover was an extension of UNIQLO’s global partnership with Plan International as part of the brand’s PEACE FOR ALL project.

“We loved welcoming Rose to UNIQLO for International Women’s Day, sharing an inside look to our stores and headquarters, and the many talented women leading the way here,” Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel of Fast Retailing USA Serena Peck said. “Rose’s insights as a youth advocate provided an incredibly valuable perspective that will help us continue to grow and elevate women’s voices. We’re happy to have deepened our work with Plan International USA in our shared vision for a better world for all.”

At Bank of Montreal, Plan youth advocate Ava stepped into the role of Chief Communications and Social Impact Officer Kimberly Goode. Along other BMO executives, Ava took the stage at a culmination event for Black History Month where she shared her experiences.

“BMO is a long-term sponsor of Plan International in the U.S. and Canada, partnering to create opportunities to build confidence in young women and provide exposure to those actively working to create zero barriers to inclusion,” Chief Communications and Social Impact Officer at BMO Kimberley Goode said. “Watching Ava step into my seat gave me such confidence in the impact the next generation will have. They are ready to live their purpose and boldly grow the good in business and life as future leaders.”

In addition to Takeovers, Luna Silvana Abadía, a Youth Advisory Board member at Plan, will be a U.S. delegate for the U.N.’s Commission on the Status of Women. CSW67 will examine the role technology plays in achieving gender equality. Silvana Abadía will represent the views of girls all over the world through the results of Plan’s State of the World’s Girls report, which highlights the effects of online gender-based violence.

“As an activist and young person, I use social media every day,” Silvana Abadía said. “We desperately need policies that address long-term harassment like the kind I faced for two years. I will use my position at CSW67 to encourage leaders to work with young people to understand their experiences and set greater corporate accountability and human rights standards.”

Silvana Abadía will join Cailin Crockett, senior advisor for the White House Gender Council, Varina Winder, senior advisor for the Secretary of State Office of Global Women’s Issues, and Jamille Bigio, senior coordinator for gender equality and women’s empowerment at USAID, on a virtual panel discussing the U.S. government’s commitment to ending online gender-based violence on March 24. The event, hosted by Plan, is titled ‘Will the White House, State and USAID combat online gender-based violence?’

Join Plan as we celebrate girls and women this March 8 and every other day of the year. Learn more and register for the March 24 panel event by visiting: www.planusa.org/iwd.

For more information or interviews, please contact:

Maria Holsopple
Director, Corporate Communications
Email: [email protected]

Mobile: 540.383.3628

About Plan International USA

Powered by supporters, Plan International USA partners with adolescent girls, young women and children around the world to overcome oppression and gender inequality, providing the support and resources that are unique to their needs and the needs of their communities, ensuring they achieve their full potential with dignity, opportunity and safety. Founded in 1937, Plan is an independent development and humanitarian organization that is active in more than 80 countries.

For more information, and to learn about our commitment to safeguarding, please visit www.PlanUSA.org.