Girl Power Called Key To Firing Up Economies
There is a simple way to help rejuvenate many of the worlds economies: invest in the education of girls and make sure they do not become victims of the global financial meltdown, Nikes chief executive, the head of UNICEF, and Melinda Gates agreed Saturday.
For the first time, the World Economic Forum devoted one of its marquee sessions to the impact of educating girls in developing countries.
Nike CEO Mark Parker called girls “the most neglected, at risk, unsupported part of the worlds population”.
Melinda Gates, who co-chairs the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, agreed, adding there must be “a mind shift to track what is happening with education and legal rights and to ensure girls needs are addressed in all programs”.
UNICEF Executive Director Ann Veneman said keeping girls in school was “so critical”.
She called for greater efforts to address issues that kept girls out of school – including fetching water, working in fields, a lack of separate toilet facilities and sexual exploitation.
World Bank Managing Director Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said the bank was concerned about the effects of the financial crisis on girls and women. – We know that in many places women are the first to be thrown out of work, she said.
She urged support for a 30 million US dollar public-private partnership to educate and train girls in post-conflict countries.
Kilde: www.worldbank.org
