Every year, global leaders gather to set education policy and funding priorities. Malala Fund makes sure young women and the advocates who know them best are part of the conversation.
In bustling cities, ornate conference halls and stuffy meeting rooms around the world, education ministers, finance officials and U.N. delegates gather at forums like the U.N. General Assembly, Education World Forum, the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) and Financing for Development conference to make decisions that impact girls. For Malala Fund, advocating for girls globally is an important component of our model: it reinforces and works in tandem with our, and our partners’, local advocacy to change systems at multiple levels. But each year, we hear the same scepticism: do these meetings actually change anything?
We understand the doubt, and we’ve too often left these forums underwhelmed by the commitments made on girls’ education and disheartened by the broken promises on debt reform and financing. But we've also seen how girls and civil society can influence debates and decisions when they are present at the table.
Here's why getting girls and civil society in the room matters more than ever.
1. Girls’ voices bring accuracy
The organisations we support are working in communities where girls face enormous hurdles in accessing and completing 12 years of school — from child marriage to conflict to restrictions on their freedoms. They understand which policies work, which ones fail girls and what the real barriers to secondary education look like beyond the statistics. When a young woman leading an organisation in Nigeria or Pakistan sits across from a finance minister or U.N. official, she brings knowledge that no expert flying in from Europe or the U.S. can offer. Without that presence, decision-makers risk building global frameworks based on assumptions rather than reality.
And when a girl speaks on a global stage, she sends a powerful message to the leaders in the room: do not forget me — you have a responsibility to protect my rights.
“And you, the delegates in this room, have more than hope. You have the power to act. So I ask you: protect a girl’s right to an education. Defend a woman’s right to speak out freely and without retaliation,” said Sunbul Reha, a student and musician from Afghanistan, at CSW70.
2. Real decisions get made in these rooms, and civil society needs to be at the table
At global conferences, governments make funding pledges and shape policy frameworks, and civil society builds and applies international pressure. Over the past decade, Malala Fund and our partners have helped raise the global standard for girls’ education from 9 to 12 years, and mobilise nearly $7 billion in commitments from donor countries and institutions to fund girls' education — much of it secured through sustained engagement at exactly these kinds of forums. When girls and local advocates are face-to-face with decision-makers, they shift the tone of discussions in ways that no report or policy document can.
“Historically, civil society has been cast as a watchdog, an accountability partner that sits outside systems… It is not about civil society on one side and government on the other,” said Nabila Aguele, CEO of Malala Fund, at the 2026 Education World Forum. “And we find that by having [civil society] at the table to support governments in putting in place policies, systems, budgets that are girl-responsive, there are better outcomes for everyone.”
3. Absence has a cost
When the people most affected by a decision aren't in the room — and when the organisations advocating on their behalf can't get there either — the decision reflects it. Funding goes toward the wrong priorities, and girls' needs get reduced to a footnote. The communities our partners serve, often in lower-income countries already spending far more on debt repayments than on education, lose their best opportunity to hold high-income countries accountable.
“If we want truly sustainable development, we must begin and end with education. We have to pivot funds from institutions to individuals. Education shifts power from austerity to agency, from top-down mandates to local innovation and ultimately from crisis to resilience,” said Sapphire Alexander, youth activist and founder of Caribbean Feminist, at the 2025 Financing for Development Conference.
Showing up is an act of advocacy in itself, whether it’s a girl sharing her story, a local organisation presenting evidence or a Malala Fund staff member working to make sure those voices land where they need to.
How you can help get the right people to the right rooms
Travel costs are one of the most persistent barriers to global advocacy. A flight to New York for CSW or to London for the Education World Forum can strain the budgets of non-profit organisations.
That's where supporters like you come in. Through our partnership with United Airlines and the United Miles on a Mission programme, you can donate your unused miles to help Malala Fund bring girls, local partners and staff to the forums where their voices and expertise are needed most.
