İpek Kıraç spoke at a panel organized in New York as part of the UN General Assembly

İpek Kıraç, founder of Suna’nın Kızları, participated as a speaker at the 'Generation Equality: Midpoint Moment' panel organized by UN Women within the framework of the 78th United Nations General Assembly. In her speech, Kıraç emphasized that centering equality makes a significant difference in societal development goals, stating, 'I believe that decisions focusing on the needs of girls have the power to change the world. By creating safe spaces free from violence for girls and supporting their solidarity with peers and their self-realization, we can achieve a more peaceful future for everyone.'

İpek Kıraç, who was among the speakers at the 'Generation Equality: Midpoint Moment' panel organized by UN Women, shared information about their work in creating uninterrupted learning spaces that support girls. In her speech, Kıraç informed the participants about the Children's Life Centers and the Summer Institute Program established by Suna’nın Kızları.

“We will increase the number of Children's Life Centers we have established in the earthquake zone.” İpek Kıraç stated that Suna’nın Kızları aims to develop programs that support the physical and emotional well-being of all children in the earthquake region, specifically by identifying the unique needs of girls aged 12-18, through their girl-focused design approach. Kıraç mentioned that in addition to the two active Children's Life Centers in the region, they aim to launch three more by the end of October.

Kıraç emphasized the significant role that empowering girls plays in reducing societal inequalities, noting that empowerment involves transferring strength to them. Underlining that those most affected by the issues should have a say in the allocation of resources to address their needs, Kıraç continued: “In addition to the model we have created with stakeholders to transfer the management of Children's Life Centers to children, especially to girls, we aim to create a model of change with the Summer Institute model implemented with Koç School, where girls of all diversities learn together and from each other. During the first application of the Summer Institute, which aims to empower girls both as individuals and as a community, I personally witnessed the determination of girls who draw strength from solidarity. I believe that this determination and collaboration are the keys to a good future for all of us,” she said."

"We place great importance on the Collective Impact approach," said İpek Kıraç, stating that Suna’nın Kızları follows an approach that centers on participation in all its efforts. "Suna’nın Kızları is a multi-stakeholder entity. We create capacity-building, investment-directing, and empowering systems for and with girls, based on scientific research. These are repeatable and scalable models. We have adopted the 'Collective Impact' approach as a way to activate in Türkiye the multi-stakeholder and inclusive methodology of the ‘Generation Equality’ initiative started by UN Women. With this approach, which we value greatly, we focus on mobilizing civil society, public, and private sectors in a coordinated and synergistic effort," she said.

İpek Kıraç described the Collective Impact approach as "a structured approach to create and amplify impact in alignment with common goals," and stated, "Guided by this approach, we aim to create community-based ecosystems where girls can feel emotionally and physically safe, not left behind in school or play, and have a say in their lives, supporting them to continue learning uninterrupted to realize their dreams."

"As Suna’nın Kızları, we conduct joint efforts with stakeholders from a broad support network that includes 31 civil society organizations, as well as the public and private sectors," Kıraç continued. "Driven by science-based research, we develop projects designed with a focus on girls. In a study we conducted in 2021, we identified that Türkiye's Southeast region still remains the most disadvantaged for girls, due to high school dropout rates, gender-based violence, and rates of child, early, and forced marriages. Based on these findings, we took a significant step with the Şanlıurfa Governorship to establish a girl-centered ecosystem in the city of Şanlıurfa."

Concrete Steps for Generation Equality The "Generation Equality: Midpoint Moment" event, a continuation of the "Generation Equality" panel initiated in 2021, which envisages a five-year action plan for gender equality, was organized under the co-leadership of UN Women with the governments of Iceland and Tanzania.

At the event, concrete and promising steps taken to accelerate Generation Equality within the scope of the UN Sustainable Development Goals were discussed. Topics included strengthening current commitments to gender equality and accelerating gender-sensitive sustainable development.

The "Generation Equality" panel under the United Nations umbrella was first held in Mexico City and Paris in 2021. The panel presented a five-year action plan based on a series of concrete and transformative actions, including a financial commitment of $40 billion, aimed at progressing gender equality. The financial support provided within the framework of this action plan is being allocated for investments aimed at gender equality on a global scale, primarily focusing on women and girls.