WUNRN
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE GIRL CHILD – OCTOBER 11
The
newly adopted Sustainable Development Goals rightly include key targets for
gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls. They offer an
opportunity for a global commitment to breaking intergenerational transmission
of poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination – and realizing our vision
of a life of dignity for all."
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Young women at Sabarmati Gandhi Ashram in
Ahmedabad, India.
UN Photo/Mark Garten
2015 Theme:
The Power of the Adolescent Girl: Vision for 2030
On December 19, 2011, the United Nations
General Assembly adopted Resolution 66/170 to declare 11 October as the
International Day of the Girl Child, to recognize girls’ rights and the unique
challenges girls face around the world.
This year, as the international community
assesses progress under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) since their
implementation in 2000 and sets goals to be achieved by 2030, girls born at the
turn of the millennium have reached adolescence, and the generation of girls
born this year will be adolescents in 2030. As we reflect on the achievements
of the past 15 years and plan sustainable development goals for the next 15, it
is an opportune time to consider the importance of social, economic, and
political investment in the power of adolescent girls as fundamental to
breaking the intergenerational transmission of poverty, violence, exclusion and
discrimination and to achieving equitable and sustainable development outcomes.
Adolescent girls have the right to a safe,
educated, and healthy life, not only during these critical formative years, but
also as they mature into women. If effectively supported during the adolescent
years, girls have the potential to change the world – both as the empowered
girls of today and as tomorrow’s workers, mothers, entrepreneurs, mentors,
household heads, and political leaders. An investment in realising the power of
adolescent girls upholds their rights today and promises a more equitable and
prosperous future, one in which half of humanity is an equal partner in solving
the problems of climate change, political conflict, economic growth, disease
prevention, and global sustainability.
Over the last 15 years, the global
community has made significant progress in improving the lives of girls during
early childhood. In 2015, girls in the first decade of life are more likely to
enrol in primary school, receive key vaccinations, and are less likely to
suffer from health and nutrition problems than were previous generations.
However, there has been insufficient investment in addressing the challenges
girls face when they enter the second decade of their lives. This includes
obtaining quality secondary and higher education, avoiding child marriage,
receiving information and services related to puberty and reproductive health,
and protecting themselves against unwanted pregnancy, sexually transmitted
disease and gender-based violence.
As the global community launches the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for implementation over the next 15 years,
it is a good time to recognise the achievements made in supporting young girls,
while at the same time aspiring to support the current and upcoming generation
of adolescent girls, to truly fulfil their potential as key actors in achieving
a sustainable and equitable world. In recognition of the importance of
investing in adolescent girls’ empowerment and rights, both today and in the
future, the theme of International Day of the Girl Child for 2015 is: The
Power of the Adolescent Girl: Vision for 2030.
UN agencies, Member States, civil society
organizations, and private sector stakeholders are called on to commit to
putting adolescent girls at the centre of sustainable development efforts by
making the following critical investments in their present and future:
·
Invest in high quality
education, skills, training, access to technology and other learning
initiatives that prepare girls for life, jobs, and leadership.
·
Invest in health and
nutrition suitable to the adolescent years, including puberty education,
menstrual hygiene management, and sexual and reproductive health education and
services.
·
Promote zero tolerance
against physical, mental, and sexual violence.
·
Enact and consistently
implement social, economic, and policy mechanisms to combat early marriage and
female genital mutilation.
·
Invest in the creation
and maintenance of social and public spaces for civic and political engagement,
creativity and talent enhancement.
·
Promote
gender-responsive legislation and policies across all areas especially for
adolescent girls who are disabled, vulnerable and marginalized, and victims of
trafficking and sexual exploitation.
The commitment by the global community to realising the potential of adolescent girls will directly translate into the girls as powerful and positive change agents for their own empowerment, for advancing gender equality and for the sustainable advancement of their nations.