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Letter to Mr. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and Mrs. Nane Annan
Your contributions to promoting girls’ education at the global, regional and national levels have been tremendous. We would like to take this moment to celebrate your leadership in girls’ education and pay tribute to your legacy, which has had an impact on communities and lives throughout the world.
UNGEI recognizes that you both have made girls’ education a personal priority, lending your voice, dedication and energies, and urging that we all do the same; and we are grateful that you are committed to advancing this agenda beyond your tenure.
We are taking this opportunity to remind the world that we must continue to make the girls’ education agenda a priority and scale up efforts to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) related to education and gender equality if we want to deliver on promises by 2015.
We will continue to quote your inspirational words, that “There is no policy for progress more effective than the empowerment of women and girls” and that “A nation that neglects its children, especially girls, is a nation that neglects its future and development.”
We are grateful to both of you for your many contributions to help place girls’ education on the international agenda, and you have our assurance that UNGEI will continue in your legacy to work tirelessly to ensure that every boy and girl enjoys their right to a quality basic education.
Sincerely yours,
Lucy Lake and Annelene Ror
Co-chairs
UNGEI Global Advisory Committee
and UNGEI Secretariat
Related links
BBC: UN appeal for girls' education (26 April 2000)
United Nations Special Session on Children (8-10 May 2002)
UNESCO: Speech by Secretary-General Kofi Annan to mark the launch of the United Nations Literacy Decade (13 February 2003)
UNICEF: Global Action Week 2003 (9 April 2003)
UNICEF: Message for "the world's biggest lesson" (9 April 2003)
UN World Summit: First Spouses event (14 September 2005)
UNEP: Kofi Annan Honoured with Zayed Prize (6 February 2006)
Nane Annan meets vulnerable girls in Freetown (3 July 2006)
