On October 20, 2026, WHO Ethiopia and Plan International Ethiopia took a significant step in promoting girls' leadership by giving adolescent Timrhabiruk Mulugeta a symbolic seat at the policy table. As part of the global Girls Takeover 2026 campaign, Mulugeta served as the symbolic WHO Representative for a Day, marking the International Day of the Girl. The initiative aimed to challenge gender stereotypes and provide a platform for girls to influence decisions that affect their communities.
The Girls Takeover 2026 campaign, with the theme "End Child Marriage and Invest in Girls' Rights," seeks to create space for adolescent girls to participate in leadership settings. In Ethiopia, the event highlighted the importance of girls' leadership in the context of climate pressures, humanitarian crises, and youth participation. The campaign's #ChangeHerForecast message emphasizes the need for stronger inclusion of girls in decision-making processes.
During her appointment, Mulugeta attended senior meetings, including a visit to the Ethiopian Artificial Intelligence Institute, where discussions focused on innovation, health, and youth leadership. This experience provided Mulugeta with direct exposure to how public institutions balance innovation and health priorities. She also participated in preparations for the 7th Emergency Medical Teams Global Meeting, linking youth representation with emergency health planning.
The event was a collaborative effort between Plan International Ethiopia and WHO Ethiopia to connect empowerment with institutional access. Professor Francis Chisaka Kasolo, WHO Representative to Ethiopia, praised Mulugeta's commitment and wished her success as a future leader. Kasolo emphasized that meaningful youth participation is a crucial signal when institutions provide girls with access to decision-making processes.
While the appointment did not result in a direct financial commitment, it offers a practical model for institutions to include young women in policy formation. For development finance institutions, this approach can lead to more effective programs that connect with community needs and build leadership pipelines for health, technology, and social services.
The Girls Takeover event is part of a broader push to promote female technical inclusion in Ethiopia. On October 2, 2026, UN Women Ethiopia and the Ministry of Innovation and Technology launched an African Girls Can Code Initiative technology hub at Debre Berhan University. These efforts highlight the need for human capital programs to go beyond enrolment targets and provide routes into decision-making, technical training, and paid employment.
As investors and policymakers look to support initiatives that empower girls, they will be watching to see if similar programs attract formal funding mandates and measurable outcomes across Ethiopia in 2027. The success of such initiatives will depend on their ability to create lasting impact and provide girls with the skills and opportunities they need to become future leaders.
Key points
- The WHO Girls Takeover 2026 event in Ethiopia provided a platform for adolescent girls to participate in leadership settings and challenge gender stereotypes.
- The initiative aims to connect empowerment with institutional access and promote meaningful youth participation in decision-making processes.
- The event is part of a broader push to promote female technical inclusion in Ethiopia and support human capital programs that provide routes into decision-making, technical training, and paid employment.
