3 girls in uniform walking to school holding hands

POLICY & ADVOCACY

Plan International Canada is independent of governments, faiths and political parties or any other ideological affiliation. Our work is rooted in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the UN Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women and other international and regional human rights, treaties and global soft laws.

This provides the normative basis for policy analysis and advocacy to achieve meaningful change for women, girls, boys, adolescents and youth.

Our core areas of advocacy include:

Gender equality and girls’ rights

Child participation

Child protection

Sexual and reproductive health and rights

Education

Climate change resilience

Economic empowerment

Canadian youth engagement

Working in coalition

Plan International Canada’s advocacy efforts seek to influence policy decisions that have a direct impact on achieving gender equality, women’s and girls’ rights and the rights and well-being of all children and young people. One of the most powerful ways to achieve this is in partnership with like-minded organizations seeking the same end results. Plan International Canada is proud to be a member of the following Canadian coalitions and working groups.

Canadian Partnership for Women and Children’s Health

CanWaCH is a partnership of more than 100 Canadian organizations and global citizens working to realize a world where every woman and child survives and thrives.

Canadian Council for International Co-operation

Together with 80+ member organizations, CCIC seeks to end global poverty and promote social justice and human dignity for all.

Canadian International Education Policy Working Group

CIPEWG is a coalition of development, humanitarian and advocacy organizations committed to supporting policies and programs to ensure that all children and youth have access to safe, quality education.

Humanitarian Response Network of Canada

The Humanitarian Response Network of Canada is a vibrant community of practice made up of 37+ Canadian humanitarian organizations.

Women’s Rights Policy Group (WRPG)

The Women’s Rights Policy Group is a working group of Canadian organizations and individuals who work internationally and domestically on women’s rights issues.

Canadian Coalition on Climate Change and Development

C4D is a coalition of international development and environmental organizations working together to share knowledge and take concerted action to address climate change.

Advocacy success in Canada

Six adolescent girl leaders from Canada, Jamaica, Lebanon, Benin, Mali, and South Africa met with Canadian Minister of International Development Bibeau and her counterparts at the Minister’s meeting in Whistler in 2018, as part of the Canadian G7 presidency.

As a strong partner to the Government of Canada, Plan International Canada is proud to have participated in, and often led, advocacy efforts that resulted in:

The Whistler Declaration on Unlocking the Power of Adolescent Girls for Sustainable Development and the Whistler Declaration on Gender equality announced during Canada’s G7 presidency of 2018.
The Charlevoix Declaration on Quality Education for Girls, Adolescent Girls and Women in Developing Countries resulting in education being elevated on the global agenda and $2.9 Billion (US) committed to reach 8.7 million children.
The Thrive advocacy agenda, which resulted in the Government of Canada committing $1.4 billion in funding for women’s, children’s and adolescent’s health globally in 2019, including for neglected areas of sexual and reproductive health and rights.
The creation of Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy, including its inclusion of girls and sexual and reproductive health and rights.
Canada’s first Federal Strategy to Eliminate Gender-Based Violence.
The creation of the International Day of the Girl Child.
G8 Muskoka Initiative on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, with $1 billion in new Canadian funding for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), $7.5 billion committed globally.