Empower Her - Education Cannot Wait Executive Director Yasmine Sherif Statement on International Women's Day

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Mar 08, 2023, 08:15 ET

NEW YORK, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On International Women's Day, let us remind ourselves of the power of education, which empowers girls and women to realize their dreams and achieve their goals.

We must stand up – united as a global community – and say no to gender-based violence, say no to child marriage, say no to workplace inequities, and say no to the deprivation of a quality education for women and girls everywhere.

With over 120 million girls enduring armed conflicts, forced displacement and climate disasters unable to benefit from a quality education, we cannot and must not turn a blind eye to their humanity, their rights, their potential and their dreams.

To make good on our commitments, we must ensure every girl is ensured 12 years of quality education. For girls caught in conflicts in places like Ukraine and the Sahel, for the millions of girls denied their human right to an education in Afghanistan, and for the girls displaced from their homes in South America, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and even Europe and North America, education is the key that will unlock a better life for them and a better world for all.

The challenges are daunting. UNESCO estimates that around the world, 129 million girls are out of school, including 32 million in primary school and 97 million in secondary. For girls caught in conflict and crises, the situation is even worse. Two out of every three girls in humanitarian crises won't start secondary school. And if current trends continue, by 2025, climate change will be a contributing factor in preventing at least 12.5 million girls from completing their education each year, according to the Malala Fund.

Our investment in girls' education is our investment in the future for all of humanity, our civilization, our evolution, and above all for human rights and the Sustainable Development Goals. As the UN's global fund for education in emergencies, Education Cannot Wait has achieved gender parity between girls and boys in its First Emergency Response and Multi-Year Resilience Programme investments.

Imagine the economic and social impact if every girl on planet earth was actually able to go to 12 years of school? A World Bank study estimates that the "limited educational opportunities for girls, and barriers to completing 12 years of education, cost countries between US$15 trillion and $30 trillion in lost lifetime productivity and earnings."

Indeed, education is the answer.

SOURCE Education Cannot Wait