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25 by 2005
Girls’ Education campaign

 

Girls’ Education Campaigns

“There can be no significant or sustainable transformations in societies and no significant reduction in poverty until girls receive the quality basic education they need to take their rightful place as equal partners in development.”

—Carol Bellamy, UNICEF Executive Director

Go Girls!

Biggest lesson ever, 9 April
Key Dates
• May: UNICEF Canada Special Rep Scott visits girls' education projects in Burkina Faso

• 21 May: Launch of 25 by 2005 in Pakistan

• 22 May: South Asia Ministers meet on EFA

• Press release: UNICEF says girls in South Asia "cannot afford to wait"
More girls in school

UNICEF is working to ensure that every girl, as well as every boy, enjoys their right to a quality education. By focussing on girls’ education, we believe we will strengthen our efforts to achieve the ultimate goal: Education for EVERY Child.

Working with many different partners, UNICEF is leading global and country campaigns as part of its efforts to reach out-of-school girls. These are designed to raise public expectations, mobilize political action and encourage financial support for girls’ education.

Denial of a fundamental human right

More than 120 million children of school age are out of school. The majority are girls. Such is the crisis in girls’ education even though the social and economic benefits of an educated population have been documented in country after country, year after year.

Girls’ education is:

  • a core development issue – every year a girl is in school is a step toward eliminating poverty, advancing sustainable human development, promoting gender equality, and stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS
  • a human rights issue – every year a girl is denied her right to a quality education increases the chances she will be subject to violence and exploitation, and be more vulnerable to disease, including HIV/AIDS
  • an urgent issue – if significant progress in girls’ education does not happen as quickly as possible, every international development effort – including the Millennium Development Goals – is in jeopardy.
Inspired by children

Our work is inspired by A World Fit For Us, the Children’s Statement at the UN Special Session in May 2002 and adopted by the UN General Assembly as A World Fit For Children. These reiterate the objectives agreed upon by the international community under the framework of Education for All and in the Millennium Development Goals.