The Duchess of Sussex gave a special shout out to New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Adern, saying that young women should take inspiration from people like her.
During a virtual speech on Tuesday, Meghan Markle said Ardern is someone who brought New Zealand together during COVID-19.
"We can take inspiration from women like Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who brought New Zealand together to swiftly and boldly tackle COVID-19," she told attendees at the global Girl Up Leadership Summit.
"The moment we're living through right now asks all of us to do more. It's a moment where your voices and your action have never been more urgently needed."
She urges the audience of young, driven women to keep challenging and pushing the norms, "make them a little uncomfortable," she said.
"Because it’s only in that discomfort that we actually create the conditions to reimagine our standards, our policies, and our leadership; to move towards real representation and meaningful influence over the structures of decision-making and power."
The Duchess also spoke of how impressed she was with those Girl Up members who are already out there using their own initiatives, including organising Black Lives Matter protests around the world.
"You are creating films to encourage your peers to become activist leaders, you are reforming the criminal justice system, you are telling your school boards we need more mental health resources for all ages, you are leading coalitions to end gun violence."
"You are standing up and demanding to be heard, yes, but you're also demanding to own the conversation," she said.
The Duchess recorded the video message for the young women aged between 13 and 22 taking part in the three-day summit started by the UN Foundation in 2010.
Other speakers of the virtual event included the likes of Hilary Clinton and Michelle Obama.
