Meghan Markle to join Michelle Obama for virtual gender equality summit

The event will be Meghan’s first official speaking engagement since stepping down as a senior royal
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Marissa Desantis9 July 2020

For her first scheduled speaking engagement since stepping down as a senior royal, Meghan Markle is teaming up with some of the world’s most accomplished women.

The Duchess of Sussex will join Girl Up for their virtual Global Leadership Summit on July 13 - 15.

The organization, which was founded by the United Nations Foundation in 2010, works to achieve gender equality by empowering and educating adolescent girls around the world.

Getty Images

Girl Up announced that Meghan would be joining them for their 2020 summit on Twitter.

“The present is female,” the organization wrote. “But don’t take our word for it. Hear Meghan Markle, The Duchess of Sussex’s advice for global girls leaders when she takes the stage at the 2020 @GirlUp Leadership Summit.”

The 3-day virtual summit will include workshops in addition to panels with global leaders. Some of Girl Up’s speakers include former first lady Michelle Obama, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg and human rights activist Nadia Murad.

Meghan’s friend, actress Priyanka Chopra has also been announced as a guest speaker, taking part in a Q&A session.

The Girl Up Global Leadership Summit marks Meghan’s first official speaking engagement since she and Prince Harry stepped down as senior royals on March 31. In the months since, Meghan has made several other virtual appearances.

In June, she addressed the graduating class of her alma mater, Immaculate Heart High School, and earlier this month, Meghan and Harry joined young people from the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust for a discussion about racial injustice.

Meghan Markle during virtual address to Immaculate Heart High School seniors

Meghan also privately reached out to an 18-year-old who was the victim of an alleged hate crime, speaking with her over the phone for 40 minutes.

Additionally, Meghan and Harry have found ways to get involved in their new Los Angeles community during the coronavirus pandemic - delivering meals to those in need through Project Angel Food and cooking meals with the organization Homeboy Industries.

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