Girls’ Education Main Driver for Equitable World, Deputy Secretary-General Says, in Video Message to Event on Niger’s Educational Efforts

Following is the text of UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s video message to “Ensuring the educational success of girls in Niger”, in New York today:

Girls’ education offers high economic and non-economic returns on investment for individuals, families and societies.  It also serves as one of the main drivers of our goal to shape a more equitable world.  While progress has been made in recent years, the world is far from achieving SDG 4 [Sustainable Development Goal] on quality and inclusive education for every child.  We must do more. 

This forum aligns with the Secretary-General’s focus on transforming education for all, with equity and inclusion at the heart of the Summit.  In particular, promoting marginalized girls’ education is a transformative intervention — one that promotes equity and inclusion. 

But transformations like this will require adjustments, and constant, energized efforts and persistence.  This means maintaining a laser focus on the problems at hand and bold commitments to strategies that can:  identify out-of-school girls and support their return to learning; improve education quality and offer fit-for-purpose learning pathways; and make schools safe, while promoting health and well-being for girls.

Crucially, these commitments must come with accountability of leaders and the partners who support them.  Across all of this important work, I am hopeful that this session will result in sound commitments that align with the Call to Action being presented at the Summit.

We also hope that Niger will sign up to the Global Platform for Advancing Gender Equality and Girls’ and Women’s Experiment in and through Education, which was launched as part of the “Solutions” to girls’ education.

Finally, let us mainstream our pro-girl actions across the three transitions:  early learning and foundational learning, primary education and development of skills and competencies, and secondary education — all focused on the most marginalized, including girls with disabilities.  Let’s take action for all girls.  Thank you.