A future without child marriage should not be a dream: a call for accelerated action at UNGA 79 and Summit of the Future
The 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and Summit of the Future brought together world leaders, government representatives and civil society organisations in New York to respond to the most pressing challenges of our time, including ending child, early, and forced marriages and unions.
A significant win for the global movement to end child, early and forced marriages and unions was achieved when the Pact of the Future, the official outcome document adopted at the summit, included language on child, early and forced marriage (CEFM) under Action 35. This reflects the successful advocacy efforts of Girls Not Brides, members and partners and is a major step forward in recognising CEFM as a violation of girls' and young women’s human rights, reaffirming global commitments to address this harmful practice. However, the document missed key opportunities to include language that fully recognises adolescent girls as a holistic group and to guarantee their ability to fully access and enjoy sexual and reproductive health rights.
This is a major step forward in recognising CEFM as a violation of girls' and young women’s human rights, reaffirming global commitments to address this harmful practice. However, the document missed key opportunities to include language that fully recognises adolescent girls as a holistic group and guarantees their ability to fully access and enjoy sexual and reproductive health rights.
Recognising the opportunity presented by the Summit, we co-signed a joint statement as part of the Girl Deliver Community urging member states to increase commitment to and investment in adolescent girls’ rights up to 2030 and beyond, as called for by girls themselves in the Girls’ Pact for the Future. Girls Not Brides also hosted a roundtable with CSOs to discuss the need to introduce and strengthen language in the upcoming UNGA CEFM Resolution across several areas including informal unions, support for ever-married girls, intersectionality, the climate crisis, and funding to end child marriage.
A Near Future Without Child Marriage: Highlights from UNGA Side Event
On 20th September, Girls Not Brides hosted a side event ‘A Near Future Without Child Marriage’, in partnership with Equality Now, Global Citizen, UN Women, the UNFPA-UNICEF Global Programme to End Child Marriage, and the governments of Canada, The Netherlands, Sweden and Sierra Leone. The event provided a platform to reflect on a decade of progress made through the UNGA CEFM Resolution and to discuss the Girls Not Brides’ 2030 Accelerator Roadmap – a strategic initiative designed to fast-track efforts to end child marriage.
From left to right: Honorable Melrose A. Karminty, HRH Princess Mabel van Oranje, Payzee Mahmod, Dr Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda.
From left to right: Shannon Kowalski, Michael Sheldrick, Sheema Sen Gupta, Fanta Toure.
From left to right: Dr Jakob Granit, Ms Barbara Curran, Dr. Faith Mwangi-Powell, , H.E. Ms. Yoka Brandt.
Key takeaways
Progress is real and ongoing
There are clear indicators of positive changes for girls at the national, community and individual level. Her Excellency Melrose A. Karminty, Sierra Leone’s Minister of Social Welfare, highlighted Sierra Leone’s newly adopted Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2024, which sets 18 years old as the minimum age of marriage without exceptions. This landmark legislation is paving the way for other reforms which will protect girls’ rights and serves as an example to other countries. Payzee Mahmod, child marriage survivor, Girls Not Brides UK co-chair and Global Citizen prize winner, spoke powerfully about her work to outlaw child marriage in England and Wales in 2023 and we heard from Fanta Toure about the work that Girls First Fund is funding at the community level resulting in girls, households and communities acquiring more skills and knowledge to advocate against child marriage.
Our goverment will continue to strengthen legislative protection for girls. We are committed to walking with international partners to ensure child marriage remains the key focus of development.
Her Excellency Melrose A. Karminty, Minister for Social Welfare, Sierra Leone
Despite progress, challenges remain
While celebrating these victories, the panel acknowledged the challenges ahead. HRH Princess Mabel van Oranje raised concerns about the decrease in Official Development Assistance, the rise of populism and the rise of anti-rights movements, all of which threaten progress. As highlighted by Payzee Mahmod, the recent attempt to introduce a bill in Iraq that risks lowering the legal age of girls to as young as nine serves as a stark reminder that the fight is far from over.
We have to brace ourselves for a very long fight… we have to go to the roots to dismantle the norms that keep girl’s captive.
Fanta Toure, Director, Girls First Fund
A call for collective action
The newly published ‘Ten years of progress: Reflecting on the UN General Assembly Resolution on Child, Early and Forced Marriage’ briefing paper, commissioned by Girls Not Brides and authored by gender equality expert Shannon Kowalski, paints a positive picture of how the language in the resolution has strengthened over time, but, critically, highlights the threats to roll back on previously-agreed language, particularly on sexual and gender-based violence, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and comprehensive sexuality education.
We hear the need to come together – the 2030 Accelerator Roadmap provides us with a unique opportunity to come together.
Dr Jakob Granit, Director-General, Swedish International Development Cooperation
The 2030 Accelerator Roadmap: A Path Forward
Drawing on her recent stocktake, HRH Princess Mabel van Oranje identified 3 pertinent areas where we need to see action:
- increased coordination and collaboration;
- more domestic resourcing going to girls;
- and innovation and investment going to community-based organisations
The 2030 Accelerator Roadmap, led by Girls Not Brides, aims to provide a comprehensive, high-level approach to mobilise and influence stakeholders to drive collective change.
With strong collective action, a future without child marriage is possible. Girls Not Brides urges our friends and allies to rally behind this co-created strategy to mobilise resources and accelerate change.
A future without child marriage should not be far away or a dream, it is something we should be working towards now.
Ms Yoka Brant, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the United Nations
Girls Not Brides would like to thank Equality Now, Global Citizen, UN Women, UNFPA-UNICEF Global Programme to End Child Marriage, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), Canada (Global Affairs Canada), Kingdom of The Netherlands, and Sierra Leone for their contributions.
Speakers at ‘A Near Future Without Child Marriage’, in alphabetical order:
- H.E. Ms. Yoka Brandt, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the United Nations
- Ms Barbara Curran, Director-General for Social and Economic Development, Global Affairs Canada
- Dr Jakob Granit, Director-General, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida)
- Dr Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, UN Women Deputy Executive Director and 2014-2022 AU Goodwill Ambassador on Ending Child Marriage
- Hon. Melrose A. Karminty, Minister of Social Welfare, Government of Sierra Leone
- Shannon Kowalski, Gender equality expert
- Payzee Mahmod, child marriage survivor, Girls Not Brides UK National Partnership co-chair and Global Citizen Prize Winner
- Dr Faith Mwangi-Powell, CEO, Girls Not Brides (event moderator)
- HRH Princess Mabel van Oranje, Global champion to end child marriage
- Sheema Sen Gupta, Co-Chair of UNFPA-UNICEF Global Programme to End Child Marriage
- Michael Sheldrick, Co-Founder & Chief Policy, Impact & Government Affairs Officer, Global Citizen
- Fanta Toure, Director, Girls First Fund.
In the time it has taken to read this article 49 girls under the age of 18 have been married
Each year, 12 million girls are married before the age of 18
That is 23 girls every minute
Nearly 1 every 2 seconds
Related content
Iraq: New draft bill could allow girls as young as 9 years old to get married
Towards a future without child marriage: Joint statement calling for the Summit of the Future to prioritise action to end child, early and forced marriage and unions
Ten years of progress: Reflecting on the UN General Assembly Resolution on Child, Early and Forced Marriage
Paper examining the progress and setbacks across key themes in the UNGA CEFM Resolutions. It includes recommendations for member states and support for national-level responses to CEFM.