UNITED NATIONS GIRLS EDUCATION INITIATIVE

EAP UNGEI Newsletter: Achieving Gender Equality in Education for Children with Disabilities

Education for all children cannot be achieved without the inclusion of girls and boys with disabilities. This newsletter is dedicated to highlighting the issues affecting girls with disabilities in East Asia and the Pacific.

Podcast: UN Special Adviser says gender equality and girls' education are critical in the post-2015 goals
With the international community assessing the gains made by the MDGs and forging a path for the future after the 2015 deadline, Ms. Amina Mohammed has been appointed by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to help create an inclusive and sustainable development plan.

How Can Innovation Improve Access to Quality Learning?
Last week, the Government of Denmark and UNICEF hosted the interactive discussion ‘Breaking barriers: Innovative partnerships creating exponential change in access to quality learning’.

Podcast: Young People Provide Strategic Advice on Education Issues
Podcast moderator Femi Oke caught up with Salathiel Ntakirutimana, the representative for Burundi, and Sumaya Saluja, the representative for India. The young leaders talked about their experiences, the role of education in young people’s lives and their work with the Youth Advocacy Group (YAG).

UNGEI Open Forum on Gender Equality in Education in the Post-2015 Development Agenda

Prominent thought leaders and advocates were brought together at the UNGEI Open Forum to discuss the role of education, gender equality and partnerships in the future development agenda.

Video: Educating Girls in Afghanistan
CNN's Anna Coren reports on how an increasing number of girls are able to attend school in Afghanistan.

Podcast: Girls advocate for girls' education and gender equality

Three young women from quite different parts of the world, but with very similar goals, met at UNICEF House recently to talk about their passion for promoting girls’ rights.

Let’s Talk! Discussion on 'A Girl’s Right to Learn without Fear'
Last week, UNGEI joined partners, Plan International, UNICEF (Education) and 10x10 to organize a side event to the 57th session of the Commission of the Status of Women (CSW) entitled: A Girl’s Right to Learn without Fear: Working to End Gender-Based Violence at School.

Gender-based violence is a major threat to girls’ education, UNGEI says
NEW YORK, 5 March 2013 – Millions of girls around the world face violence and discrimination due both to their sex and age, in a variety of settings – including on the way to school and at school.

Students from the Bronx Global Learning Institute for Girls write about education
Recently, a group of students from the Bronx Global Learning Institute for Girls who had learned about the tragic events in Pakistan that had left 14-year old Malala severely wounded wrote to The United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI) expressing their solidarity, outrage and passion for education

1000 Days to the Deadline for the MDGs
With only 1,000 days remaining until the deadline for the MDGs, the international community must come together now more than ever. 

Post-2015 Development Agenda UNGEI Statement
In light of the current discussions on debating the education goals, UNGEI is pleased to release a statement to input to the debate and reaffirm our committment to gender equality in education.

Join the post-2015 Global Consultation on Education
As the 2015 target date for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) approaches, there are increasing debates on what a post-2015 agenda and framework should look like. The Global Consultation on Education aims to bring together youth, civil society, NGOs, academia, Governments and private sector to contribute their experiences and ideas on how to achieve better, wider and more equitable access to quality learning for all around the globe.

Podcast: 2012 Education for All Global Monitoring Report calls for investment in developing young people's skills
One in five young people aged 15 to 24 in 123 low- and middle-income countries has been left out of primary education and lacks skills for work. Of these people, the majority are young women.

Podcast: Celebrating International Day of the Girl Child
Today, 11 October, marks the first ever International Day of the Girl Child, a day set by the United Nations to highlight the challenges girls face and to promote girls’ empowerment and the fulfilment of their human rights. This year’s theme is “Ending Child Marriage”, chosen because child marriage denies a girl of her childhood, disrupts her education, limits her opportunities, increases her risk of violence and abuse, and jeopardizes her health.

We can end child marriage! On Day of the Girl, let’s talk how
Did you know that 11 October 2012 marks the first ever International Day of the Girl Child? It’s a global celebration of adolescent girls and overdue recognition that if we unlock their potential, we can build a healthier, more just and prosperous world.

UNESCO launches new Teacher Strategy for 2012-2015
UNESCO is launching its teacher strategy for 2012-2015 to introduce its priorities, action lines and role in relation to teachers. The strategy aims to provide a framework for the whole range of activities that UNESCO will develop from 2012 to 2015.

Didier Drogba partners with FAWE to mark 20 years of working for equal education for African children
Côte d’Ivoire football star Didier Drogba has partnered with FAWE to mark the organisation’s 20th anniversary advocating for equal education for African girls and boys.

20 years on – FAWE returns to its birthplace to chart its new course for the future
On the occasion of its 20th anniversary, FAWE has brought together a core group of its key partners to the place where it was founded in September 1992 to chart a new course for the organisation.

HALF THE SKY
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the FHI 360-managed Communication for Change (C-Change) project has supported the development of 18 short educational and advocacy videos aimed at increasing global awareness and bringing about social change for critical health and gender equality and empowerment topics.

Nora Fyles becomes new Head of UNGEI Secretariat
Nora Fyles has assumed the role of Head of the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI) Secretariat.  She is the third Head of UNGEI since it was launched in 2000 by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

The United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative Global Advisory Committee sets path to 2015 and beyond
The Global Advisory Committee (GAC) of the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI) today concluded a five-day meeting in Kampala. The meeting focused on a strategic review of the partnership in the lead-up to the Millennium Development Goals target date and following the recent formative evaluation of the partnership

New UNGEI Evaluation Report Highlights Achievements and Challenges
The important findings and recommendations of the global, regional, and country-level evaluation of the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI), conducted in 2011, have been recently published in a new report, the Formative Evaluation of The United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative.  The findings will be critical in charting the course of UNGEI in the future.

Podcast: Global Action Week promotes early childhood education
Every year, more than 200 million children under age 5 are not able to reach their full potential in cognitive development potential due to poverty, gender discrimination, conflict, malnutrition, inadequate care and lack of educational opportunities.

Linking girls’ education with healthier, safer transitions to adulthood
Governments, civil society and the private sector recognise that education can be a transformative force for individuals as well as societies. Decades of research support the associations between women’s educational attainment and improved maternal health, child nutrition, economic growth and gender equality.

UN Girls’ Education Initiative reaffirms the need for education to be central to improving the lives of women and girls
This year, International Women's Day focuses on the theme: "Connecting Girls, Inspiring Futures”. With one in five girls in developing countries who enroll in primary school failing to finish, it is clear that without progress in education, too many girls will be denied the chance to realize their potential.

Podcast: What does it take to educate a girl?
Significant progress has been made towards providing education for all, yet according to UNESCO an estimated 67 million children still remain out of school – and over half of them are girls.

Launch of World Atlas of Gender Equality in Education
To mark International Women’s Day, UNESCO and the UIS have jointly released the World Atlas of Gender Equality in Education, which includes over 120 maps, charts and tables featuring a wide range of sex-disaggregated indicators.

E-Discussion Forum - Gender equality in education: Looking beyond parity - 26 March to 6 April 2012
Globally, 39 million girls are currently not enrolled in either primary or secondary education, while two–thirds of the world’s 796 million illiterate adults are women. Only about one third of countries have achieved gender parity at secondary level. The evidence shows that something needs to change.

Earning 20/20 for education – FAWE to mark 20th anniversary with major advocacy campaign
In 2012, FAWE will celebrate 20 years of enhancing girls’ and women’s education in Africa.To mark the occasion, FAWE will organise with a major advocacy campaign across sub-Saharan Africa that seeks to reinvigorate action on quality education for all Africans – both female and male.

2011- The year in education for UNESCO
The year 2011 saw UNESCO launch many important education initiatives. It included a symbolic return by the international community to Jomtien, Thailand, to give a new impetus to the EFA movement which first began there 20 years ago.

Google grant to fund groundbreaking use of technology to keep girls in school
Google announced its support of a groundbreaking initiative to empower girls and young women in Tanzania by merging education and technological innovation.

Google grant to fund groundbreaking use of technology to keep girls in school

Education in a world of 7 billion people
The impact of education on demography is widely known and acknowledged. Education for women and girls, in particular, translates into lifetime benefits including higher incomes and lower child and maternal mortality.

Summit participants join efforts to educate and empower girls
Representatives from United Nations agencies, governments, the private sector and civil society recently gathered at the Women & Girls Education Summit in New York, to explore linkages between girls’ education and economic development.

Joint Message from UNESCO, UNDP, UNICEF, ILO and Education International on the occasion of World Teachers’ Day, 5 October 2011
Today, on World Teachers’ Day, we honour the millions of educators all over the world who devote their lives to teaching children, youth and adults.

Joint Message from UNESCO, UNDP, UNICEF, ILO and Education International on the occasion of World Teachers’ Day, 5 October 2011

FAWE Research initiative 2011/2012 Call for Proposals
The Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) announces a call for the second round of research proposals from research institutions for its Strengthening Gender Research to Improve Girls’ and Women’s Education in Africa Initiative.

Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah meets with Head of UNGEI Secretariat
Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan met with Cheryl Gregory Faye, Head of the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI) Secretariat, and Maria Calivis, UNICEF’s outgoing Chief of Staff and incoming Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, on 20 September, to discuss how UNGEI is contributing toward the progress in girls’ education and what needs to be done to bridge the gaps.

Women and the 2012 World Development Report
For 23 year old Nguyen Thu Hie from Toan Thang, Vietnam, making a decision about employment is not easy. It’s not the question of what to do that preoccupies her, but the prospect of paid employment itself - whether to work or to stay at home.

Camfed film premieres around the world
Three years ago, Camfed launched an innovative program to empower young women entrepreneurs in Zambia, in partnership with the 10,000 Women initiative and the University of Cambridge.

Consultant, Development of Knowledge Management Strategy for UNGEI
The consultant, in dialogue with the KMWG and UNGEI Secretariat, will be responsible for proposing and developing an overall knowledge management strategy for UNGEI, including budget and timeline for implementation.

Viewing Guide for To Educate a Girl documentary film
To Educate a Girl, a documentary film supported by the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), introduces a pressing global issue: the struggles girls around the world face daily to get an education. To Educate a Girl looks at just a few children and youth in two countries, Uganda and Nepal, but the issue is present worldwide

World Parliamentarians Appeal for Investing in Girls
A group of parliamentarians committed to population and development issues have called on governments meeting at the G8 summit in Deauville, France, to invest substantially in protecting girls, addressing the challenges posed by the world’s population dynamics, and fulfil existing financial pledges, particularly in the areas of health, population and human rights.

ASPBAE Basic Leadership Development Course
The Basic Leadership Development Course, or the BLDC, is a significant learning event hosted by ASPBAE for its members on the 12 - 17 September 2011 in Medan, Indonesia.

“Yes She Can!” 2011 Global Action Week on EFA (2 - 8 May): mobilizing millions for girls' education
“It is a Right, Make it Right! Education for Girls and Women Now.” Citing the slogan of the 2011 Global Action Week (GAW) on Education for All, UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova delivered a strong message in support of the campaign: “We can get it right with strong political will, smart policies and adequate resources.

Ban calls on universities to play role in promoting women’s empowerment
Women remain second-class citizens in too many countries, deprived of basic rights or legitimate opportunities, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today, calling on universities to help in the fight to overcome discrimination and change perceptions about what women can and should do.

UNESCO partners with GEMS Education to bolster teacher training
UNESCO and GEMS Education, owner and operator of over 100 international schools worldwide, have joined forces to tackle looming teacher shortages in developing countries

Global Action Week will take place from 2 to 8 May
The 2011 Global Action Week (GAW) on Education for All (EFA) will take place from 2 to 8 May

Education Ministers commit to achieve Education for All
During the 10th High-Level Group Meeting on Education for All, Ministers and high-level representatives from 34 countries reaffirmed their commitment to achieve the six Education for All (EFA) goals by 2015

High Level Group to stress urgency of achieving Education for All by 2015
Progress made so far towards the internationally-agreed Education for All (EFA) goals, and the short period left for countries to reach them, will be the focus of the Tenth High-Level Group Meeting on Education For All (EFA) in Jomtien (Thailand) from 22 to 24 March.

World Day - 12 June 2011: Warning! Children in hazardous work - End child labour
The ILO’s most recent global estimate is that 115 million children are involved in hazardous work. This is work that by its nature or the circumstances in which it is carried out, is likely to harm children’s health, safety or morals.

Two Girls Demonstrate Power Of School Meals
As the world marks International Women’s Day this week, two East African girls called Fatuma and Nyipher are working hard to ensure they get the education they need to become the sort of women who won’t need food aid in the future. Both of their life stories involve the timely arrival of nutritious school meals.

Left Unchecked, Violence against Girls Will Morally Doom Efforts to Reach Millennium Development Goals
UNICEF Says Girl Victims of Violence Still Treated as Criminals; Panellists Tell Harrowing Stories of Turning to Prostitution, Trading Sex for School Grades

Invest in the Future: Empower Girls Now
UNFPA Executive Director Babatunde Osotimehin's remarks at a ministerial meeting hosted by the UN Adolescent Girls Task Force during the 55th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women

Partnering with the philanthropic community to promote education for all
The United Nations Economic and Social Council is meeting at UN Headquarters in New York this week on partnering with the philanthropic community to promote education for all children.

UNGEI event highlights importance of technology in girls' education
As the 55th session of the Commission on the Status of Women takes place in New York this week to promote women’s and girls’ access to education, training, science and technology, the UN Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI) brings together a diverse group of partners from governments, civil society, private sector and girls themselves to explore how technology can empower and promote girls’ development.

Empowering Girls: Education and Technology CSW side event
In conjunction with UNICEF and Plan International, the UN Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI) is hosting a side event during the 55th session of the Commission on the Status of Women to explore how technology can empower girls and promote their development, discuss the opportunities that the information technology sector offers young women, and present new cutting-edge findings from Plan’s 2010 Because I am a Girl Report: Digital and Urban Frontiers.

FAWE and CODESRIA launch phase II of FAWE-Norad gender and education research initiative
FAWE has partnered with the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) to launch phase II of an initiative that aims to support gender research by African women to enhance girls’ education in sub-Saharan Africa and facilitate the integration of gender into education policy and practice in the region.

Request for Proposals to Design and Implement the Evaluation for Cross-national Evaluation of the Girls’ Education Program
Room to Read is seeking proposals from qualified organizations to design and implement a crossnational evaluation of our Girls’ Education program. The period of performance includes 2011 as a planning year as well as 2012-2014 for data collection, analysis, and reporting.

Every Child Belongs in School
There are 45 million children in Africa who desperately want to go to school, but can’t.

Child-Friendly Schools Documentary Series: Rising Voices
A UNICEF film series on education titled Rising Voices features on the newly launched ViewChange.org. Rising Voices, features six documentary films focusing on the personal stories of students in different countries and contexts in which child-friendly school policies are being implemented.

Every child has the right to education!
“The Convention on the Rights of the Child is a good example of the largest number of ratifications of any convention," remarks Kishore Singh, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education.

'Education for All' Leaders Agree Partnership is Key to Achieving Goals
More powerful messages and reinforced cooperation within countries are keys to increasing political commitment to education, said chiefs and top representatives of the Education for All convening agencies at a meeting led by UNESCO’s Director-General Irina Bokova at the United Nations.

Focus on women and youth crucial for development in Arab region – Migiro
Ensuring jobs for young people and empowering women are vital to advance development in the Arab region, Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro said today, calling on countries to tap the potential of these two important segments of society.

UNGEI GAC goes green
The Global Advisory Committee (GAC) of the United Nations Girls Education Initiative (UNGEI) held its first virtual meeting via UNGEI GAC partner, Cisco’s innovative TelePresence technology today. 

Evaluation of the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI)
The UNGEI partnership is seeking Expressions of Interest (EOI) from qualified consultants, who will act as the International Lead Evaluator, to provide services in carrying out an evaluation of the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (as per the attached TOR).

'Recovery begins with Teachers': World Teachers' Day 5 October
Live testimonies from teachers supporting recovery worldwide and a photo exhibition which shows teachers in demanding situations are among the high points of the World Teachers’ Day celebrations on 5 October in UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris.

Education key to achieving Millennium Development Goals
With 69 million children still not enrolled in school, and only five years remaining until the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDG) deadline, the State of Qatar, Save the Children, UNESCO and UNICEF are co-hosting a high-level round table luncheon on 22 September in New York.

Millennium Development Goals cannot be achieved without education says UNESCO Director-General
“If we want to make development sustainable, we have to invest in education,” UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova told participants at a high-level brainstorming session held during the Millennium Development Goals Summit in New York on Tuesday 22 September.

Investing in education will help advance global anti-poverty targets – UN
Top United Nations officials have stressed education as the key to progress towards achieving global social and development targets such as reducing poverty, enhancing gender equality and combating disease.

Many women and girls left out of development gains, UN agency reports
In spite of strides made towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), large numbers of women and girls, especially those in rural areas, have been left behind and continue to live in exclusion and poverty, according to United Nations data unveiled today.

Gender equity beyond primary education
The 2010 edition of UNICEF’s ‘Progress for Children’ shows that despite advancement towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), many of the poorest and most disadvantaged children are still missing out.

UNGEI partners and Qatar to co-host Round Table on education at MDG summit
Save the Children, Qatar, UNESCO and UNICEF are co-hosting a High-Level Round Table Luncheon on the theme “The central role of education in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)” on 22 September at the forthcoming MDG Summit.

Education is the key to lasting development
As world leaders prepare to meet in New York later this month to discuss progress on the Millennium Development Goals, UNESCO’s Education for All Global Monitoring Report is releasing new data to highlight how education helps fight poverty, and empowers people with the knowledge, skills and confidence they need to shape a better future.

Renewing commitments to end poverty by 2015
World leaders – possibly the largest-ever gathering of heads of state – will meet at the United Nations from 20-22 September.

UNESCO Future Forum on Gender Equality to be held in Athens (Greece) from 9-11 September
On the eve of the Millenium Development Goals Summit (New York, 20-22 September), UNESCO and the Hellenic National Commission for UNESCO are organizing a Forum on the theme “Gender equality: the missing link? – Rethinking the internationally agreed development goals beyond 2015”.

Bank Pledges New Spending to Help Countries Achieve MDGs
As world leaders gather at UN headquarters next week to review MDGs progress to date, the World Bank Group has announced that it will mobilize significant new funding for health, education, and agriculture to help countries achieve their MDGs by 2015.

Strides still needed in girls' education, says women's rights expert
Education is a key component of United Nations Millennium Development Goal 3: to promote gender equality and empowerment of women.

Cape Verde: School-Meals Girl Now A Career Woman
In 1990, seven-year-old Vera Tavares starred in a WFP documentary about the nutritious lunches that were keeping her in school.

AED hosts Melinda Gates, Graça Machel, Hans Rosling and Mechai Viravaidya on TEDxChange
Please join AED on September 20, 2010 for a D.C. viewing and discussion of the global event TEDxChange, featuring Melinda Gates and other development leaders discussing the Millennium Development Goals.

2010 MDG Review Summit: Frequently Asked Questions

MDG Summit on 20-22 September 2010 in New York
United Nations High-level Plenary Meeting on the Millennium Development Goals (MDG Summit) (20-22 September 2010, New York)

Upcoming IIEP Policy Forum: Challenges of financing basic education
Revisiting solutions involving the private sector 9-10 September 2010, Paris

UNESCO to hold Round Table at MDG summit
UNESCO is hosting a High-Level Round Table Luncheon on the theme “Education and the Millennium Development Goals” (MDGs) on 22 September at the forthcoming MDG Summit.

Kishore Singh: Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education
Dr. Kishore Singh, who was responsible for the right to education at UNESCO for many years, was appointed as the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education by the UN Human Rights Council on 18 June 2010.

Education at the Millennium Development Goals Summit, 20-22 September
Preparations are well under way for the High-Level Plenary Meeting on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) (United Nations, New York, 20-22 September 2010) which aim to halve the rate of extreme poverty in the world by 2015.

How Can the Bank Help Young Women Find Work?
When young women engage in productive work they raise their incomes, lift their families from poverty, often delay marriage and childbirth, and increase investment in their children's health and education, all important implications for poverty reduction, and potential economic growth.

May Rihani, AED takes part in a Commission on the Status of Women online discussion.
May Rihani, Senior Vice President of the Academy for Educational Development (AED), joins the Commission on the Status of Women, the Division for the Advancement of Women in an online discussion on the linkages between women’s and girls' access to and participation in formal and non-formal education and training, and their equal access to full employment and decent work.

Keep the Vuvuzelas Ringing for Education
Irina Bokova was addressing African heads of state, donor representatives and 1Goal ambassadors at the 2010 World Cup Education Summit convened by President Zuma of South Africa a few hours before the final game on 11 July 2010.

Success stories highlighted at UNESCO-UNICEF breakfast meeting on Women’s and Girls’ Education
“Expanding women and girls’ education means progress across all development goals”, UNESCO’s Director-General affirmed at the opening of the ministerial breakfast meeting organized as part of the 2010 high-level segment of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

WFP And 1Goal Team Up For Education
As the World Cup 2010 builds to a climax, the 1Goal campaign is using soccer fever to draw attention to the over 72 million children denied proper schooling. By providing daily meals to schools around the world, WFP is using nutrition to help meet the goal of universal education.

Online discussion and podcast on gender, education and employment (7-20 July)
You are invited to participate in an online discussion (7 to 20 July) on the linkages between women's and girls' access to and participation in formal and non-formal education and training, and their equal access to full employment and decent work.  

Delegates Announced for First-Ever G(irls)20 Summit
The G(irls)20 Summit Organizers are pleased to announce the delegates for the first-ever G(irls)20 Summit.

Women Deliver conference discusses Cultural, Economic and Community Factors Impacting Girls’ Education

Podcast - Beyond Access: Quality Education for Life
The Millennium Development Goals call for universal access to education by 2015; however, simply getting children into school may not be enough to improve life opportunities for boys and girls and reduce the gender gap.

Girls’ education conference calls for accelerated action on reaching most excluded children
Even as the number of out of school children has dropped to a record low, the most vulnerable children who stand to benefit the most from education continue to be denied the opportunity to learn, global education leaders gathered here at the ‘Engendering Empowerment: Equality and Education (E4) conference said, calling for accelerated action to reverse this trend.

Leaders for Education Series - Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan
Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan, UNGEI Honorary Global Chair and UNICEF Eminent Advocate for Children, shares her feelings and experiences in securing the rights for all girls and boys. In the final installment of the Leaders for Education Series, Queen Rania lends her inspirational voice calling upon leaders and policymakers to keep firm their commitments to educate the world’s children.

Poverty, conflict and girls' right to education
NEW YORK, USA, 20 May 2010 – More than half of the 72 million primary school-aged children out of school are girls. These children mostly come from the world’s poorest communities and, in many cases, from nations with long histories of conflict.

Her Majesty Queen Rania, UNGEI Honorary Global Chair of UNGEI
In July 2009, Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah, was also appointed Honorary Global Chair of UNGEI in recognition of her efforts to promote access, quality, and innovation in education both in Jordan and across the globe.

Leaders for Education Series - Sir Ben Kingsley
Academy Award winning actor, Sir Ben Kingsley speaks with us on the impact education has in and out of school, the inspiration and knowledge he found in his own schooling and the need to teach and learn at all stages in life as a vital means to a peaceful world.  

Sir Ben Kingsley, Actor
After earning an Academy Award, two Golden Globes and two BAFTA Awards for his riveting portrayal of Indian social leader Mahatma Gandhi, Sir Ben Kingsley continues to bring unequaled detail and nuance to each role.

Leaders for Education Series - Paul Farmer
Dr. Paul Farmer, UN Deputy Special Envoy for Haiti and co-founder of Partners in Health, speaks to us about his experiences working around the globe and witnessing firsthand the transformative impact of education. He maintains that investing in girls' education is vital to development, in terms of economic growth, promoting equity and as a basic human right.

Dr. Paul Farmer, UN Deputy Special Envoy for Haiti
Medical anthropologist and physician Paul Farmer has dedicated his life to improving health care for the world's poorest people. In August 2009, Dr. Farmer was appointed by the UN Secretary-General as the Deputy Special Envoy for Haiti. In this capacity, he will support President Clinton and the people of Haiti in the implementing the Government of Haiti’s long term goals and priorities.

UNICEF Executive Director speaks out on girls' education and empowerment
NEW YORK, USA, 17 May 2010 – Speaking at an international conference on education and gender equality, UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake today called for accelerated efforts on behalf of “forgotten children” in the run-up to the 2015 deadline for meeting the Millennium Development Goals.

Breaking the silence on gender-based violence in schools
NEW YORK, USA, 17 May 2010 – For millions of children worldwide, physical and emotional abuse and gender-based violence are a harsh daily reality.

UNGEI returns to Dakar for milestone meeting on girls’ education
DAKAR, 16 May 2010 – As education, particularly for girls, is threatened to be pushed onto the back burner, a major conference will open here on Monday, to put girls’ education front and center.

Conference to tackle gender gap and give impetus to girls’ education
The education of women and girls is a top priority for UNESCO. The Organization will thus be a key partner at the forthcoming “E4 Engendering Empowerment: Education and Equality” conference.

Angélique Kidjo, Singer-songwriter, founder of The Batonga Foundation and UNICEF GWA
Angélique Kidjo, the dynamic West African singer and songwriter, was appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador on 25 July 2002.  Ms. Kidjo is a passionate advocate for girls’ education and has made that a focus of her UNICEF partnership.

Leaders for Education Series - Angélique Kidjo
Angélique Kidjo, the dynamic West African singer and songwriter, was appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 2002.  Ms. Kidjo speaks to us about the impact education has had on her life and the importance of educating girls for a better and brighter future.

FAWE Research Initiative 2010/2011 Call for Proposals

Leaders for Education Series - Hilde F. Johnson
Hilde F. Johnson is a Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and a twice Minister of International Development. Here she tells us why education is the right of every child.

Hilde F. Johnson Biography
Hilde F. Johnson is a Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Ms.Johnson was the Minister of International Development of Norway between 2001 and 2005, and Minister of Human

Leaders for Education Series - John T. Chambers
John Chambers is Chairman and CEO of Cisco. He has helped grow the company from $70 million when he joined Cisco in January 1991, to $1.2 billion when he assumed the role of CEO, to its current run rate of $36 billion. In November 2006, Chambers was named Chairman of the Board, in addition to his CEO role.

John T. Chambers Biography
John Chambers is Chairman and CEO of Cisco. He has helped grow the company from $70 million when he joined Cisco in January 1991, to $1.2 billion when he assumed the role of CEO, to its current run rate of $36 billion. In November 2006, Chambers was named Chairman of the Board, in addition to his CEO role.

Ana Ivanovic Biography
Ana Ivanovic was born on November 6, 1987 in her hometown of Belgrade, Serbia. Ivanovic is a Serbian female athlete, former World No.1-ranked tennis player, much sought-after photo model and global sports star. She won the 2008 French Open and was the runner-up in singles at the 2007 French Open and the 2008 Australian Open.

Leaders for Education Series - Ana Ivanovic
Ana Ivanovic is a Serbian female athlete, former World No.1-ranked tennis player, much sought-after photo model and global sports star. She speaks to us about the role of education in her life and her involvement with the ‘School without Violence’ programme.

The Engendering Empowerment: Education and Equality (E4) Conference
The Engendering Empowerment: Education and Equality (E4) conference, organized by the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative in collaboration with Beyond Access team, coordinated from the Institute of Education, University of London, is scheduled to take place between 17th and 20th May 2010, in Dakar, Senegal.

G(irls)20 Summit
The Belinda Stronach Foundation along with its partners are pleased to announce the launch of www.girlsandwomen.com and the G(irls)20 Summit!

Leaders for Education Series - Navanethem Pillay
Navanethem Pillay, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, wants to be the "the champion of human rights in every part of the world". A South African national, she was the first woman to start a law practice in her home province despite the barriers posed by the apartheid regime. Ms. Pillay talks to us about her experience, the right to education and gender equality.

Navanethem Pillay, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
The appointment of Navanethem Pillay as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights was approved by the General Assembly on 28 July 2008. She took up the post on 1 September 2008.

Leaders for Education Series - Ela Bhatt
Ela Bhatt, the founder of the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), is widely recognized as one of the world's most remarkable pioneers and entrepreneurial forces in grassroots development. Known as the "gentle revolutionary," and a follower of the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi, she has dedicated her life to improving the lives of India's poorest and most oppressed citizens.

Ela Bhatt, the founder of the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA)
Ela Bhatt, the founder of the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), is widely recognized as one of the world's most remarkable pioneers and entrepreneurial forces in grassroots development.

Leaders for Education Series - Zainab Salbi
Zainab Salbi is co-founder and CEO of Women for Women International, a grassroots international humanitarian and development organization helping women survivors of war rebuild their lives, families and communities. Here she talks to us about her life, work and girls' education and gender equality.

Founder and CEO, Women for Women International
Zainab Salbi is the founder and CEO of Women for Women International, a group that is dedicated to helping women survivors of war rebuild their lives. A survivor of war herself, Ms Salbi started Women for Women International in response to the rape and concentration camps in Bosnia in 1993.  Since then, the organization has served more than 250,000 women in 8 conflict and post-conflict areas from Congo and Rwanda to Afghanistan and her native country Iraq.  

International Women's Day: Special podcast on education and gender equality
Moderator Amy Costello discusses the advances made and challenges ahead for girls’ education with Tamara Kreinin from the United Nations Foundation, and the Kenya’s Minister of Education, Honourable Ambassador Professor Samson Kagengo Ongeri.

Film screening - Rising Voices: Raising Yusriya
The United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI) and UNICEF will host a screening of Rising Voices: Raising Yusriyaon the occasion of the 54th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) taking place 1-12 March 2010 at the United Nations in New York.

IIEP Newsletter January - April 2010: Revisiting global objectives for gender in education
The Dakar Framework for Action (2000) set out ambitious goals: to eliminate gender disparities in primary and secondary education by 2005, and to achieve gender equality in education by 2015.

Call for papers - Engendering Empowerment: Education and Equality (E4) Conference
The organising committee for the UNGEI E4 conference is made up of education activists, academics, practitioners and policy makers from many countries of the world. We are seeking papers and presentations that deal with gender, education, empowerment, and equality for our innovative E4 conference in May 2010.

Improving Girls Education and Development with ICT
In the developing world, girls need new skills and capacities for the 21st Century. They need to have the ability to be flexible, adaptive, and innovative to grow into positions of influence in their communities and countries.

Online discussion on Gender equality, Education and Training - 10 January to 7 February
UNESCO is organizing an online discussion on Gender equality, Education and Training as part of the 15-year review of the Beijing Platform for Action. Each week, the interactive forum will explore and analyze emerging developments, challenges and policy issues related to this important area of gender equality. Participation is welcome from all individuals, networks and organizations interested in this critical area of concern.

Thousands participate in Camfed’s film campaign on World AIDS Day
On World AIDS Day, December 1, 2009, Camfed kicked off a dynamic multimedia campaign called “Educate a Girl and Change the World,” which aims to unleash profound change for millions of children in Africa.

Transforming Education for a New Era
The World Premiere of “We are the People We’ve Been Waiting For” took place in Leicester Square in London on 17 November 2009. A Q&A chaired by the Oscar-winning producer Lord Putnam immediately followed the screening and included the participation of Dr. Cream Wright, who recently retired from the position of Global Chief of Education in UNICEF and now heads a new venture called REDI4Change.

Global committee meets at crucial point for girls' education
PARIS, France, 8 December 2009 – The GAC convened at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris on 7-8 December for a business and technical meeting, timed to feed its recommendation into the Working Group on Education for All Meeting, to be held 8-10 December at the same location.

World AIDS Day, December 1: Education is a right
In a message on the occasion of World AIDS Day, Director-General of UNESCO Ms. Irina Bokova says: ‘All people have the right to education, information and services that will enable them to avoid HIV infection, and for those living with HIV, to have the best possible quality of life free from stigma and discrimination.’

Convention brings progress on child rights, but challenges remain
NEW YORK, USA, 30 June 2009 – The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) represents a major milestone in the historic effort to achieve a world fit for children. As a binding treaty of international law, it codifies principles that Member States of the United Nations agreed to be universal – for all children, in all countries and cultures, at all times and without exception, simply through the fact of their being born into the human family.

20 years of the CRC

Documentary Film : 'We Are The People We’ve Been Waiting For'
‘We are the people we’ve been waiting for’ is a documentary feature that examines the worldwide crisis in modern education. It follows the lives of five teenagers and the challenges they face, and explores how innovative approaches to education can help a new generation make the most of their individual talents in a rapidly changing world. Find out more at the film website...

FAWE joins Clinton Global Initiative in supporting investment in girls
Global, Tuesday 22 September 2009 - FAWE joins Clinton Global Initiative in supporting investment in girls

An audience with the Queen: Students of the Young Women’s Leadership School of East Harlem, New York City, recount visit with UNGEI Global Honorary Chair, Her Majesty Queen Rania al Abdullah of Jordan
For Celines Diaz, Diusilla Ollennu, Janet Vidal, and Kasia Reyes, Monday, 21 September was a memorable day.  The four twelfth graders were among the 100 students at the Young Women’s Leadership School of East Harlem (TYWLS) who attended an event at their school on the importance of girls’ education with the newly-appointed Global Honorary Chair of the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI), Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan, and UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman.

H.M. Queen Rania of Jordan joins UNICEF in congratulating young women of Harlem
The Young Women’s Leadership School of East Harlem serves students from minority and low-income families. It is a pioneer in all-girl public education, and a model of success.

Queen Rania visits the Young Women’s Leadership School
With the fundamental right to education denied to 75 million children worldwide, Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah, on Monday, urged girls from the Young Women’s Leadership School of East Harlem in New York to sign up their names in support of the 1GOAL: Education for All initiative launched in partnership with FIFA in the run up to the 2010 World Cup.

1GOAL: Education For All campaign launched
LONDON, UK, 27 August 2009, The Global Campaign for Education (GCE) launched its World Cup 2010 project "1GOAL" at Wembley Stadium on Thursday 20 August.

World Bank Increases Gender Support and Lending in Developing Countries
Just 8 percent of households in Lao PDR are headed by women, but these families account for 43 percent of the country’s poor.

The Truth About Youth
Lately, it seems everyone's talking about youth.  This is good news because it means youth are becoming an important part of the development agenda. It's now generally recognized that achieving the MDGs is contingent upon paying greater attention to the next generation. Most major global conferences and events now have parallel youth sessions. Organizations such as the UN and the World Bank produce major reports focused on youth. Discussions on global poverty often include references to "youth bulge," "at-risk youth," and "youth policy."

CYP Asia Centre celebrates International Youth Day with full enthusiasm!
The Commonwealth Youth Programme (CYP) Asia Centre celebrated the International Youth Day in its true spirit on August 12, 2009 by organizing a blood donation programme in collaboration with the Rotary Chandigarh and State Bank of India, Sector 12 branch, Chandigarh at their official campus. The programme saw a very enthusiastic response from the various quarters.

International Youth Day - 130 million young people still illiterate
International Youth Day will take as its theme Sustainability: our challenge, our future.

Dr. Jacqueline Kirk Commemorative Competition
Gender Equality In and Through Education in Emergencies, Chronic Crisis and Early Recovery

CALL FOR PAPERS & CASE STUDIES: August 2009

International Youth Day - SUSTAINABILITY: Our Challenge. Our Future.
It is often said that young people are our future. They are our present, too. It is today, and not tomorrow, that we must invest in young people and include them in solving the great challenges of our times.

UK reviews education programme in the developing world
The UK is set to remodel its education programme in the world’s poorest countries in an attempt to help children who are considered the hardest to reach and revive international efforts to get all primary aged children into school by 2015.

The Gender Perspectives of the Global Crisis of 2008
The financial and economic crises of 2008 had gender-specific impacts and placed a disproportionate burden on women, in particular poor, migrant and minority women.

Podcast on education and minority and indigenous groups
NEW YORK, USA, 30 July 2009 – Worldwide, more than half of the children not attending school are from minority or indigenous populations, according to a report released this month by Minority Rights Group International, in collaboration with UNICEF.

FAWE and DANIDA partner to empower out-of-school girls in conflict-affected states
AWE has signed an agreement with the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) to economically empower out-of-school girls in three conflict-affected states (CAFS) in Africa.

World Conference on Higher Education closes with an appeal for investment and cooperation
The UNESCO World Conference on Higher Education closed on 8 July with a call to governments to increase investment in higher education, encourage diversity and strengthen regional cooperation to serve societal needs.

Investing in Women and Girls: Cost-Effective and Smart Economics, Says UNFPA
UNITED NATIONS 11 July 2009 - Investing in women and girls during the global financial crisis will help set the stage for economic recovery and reduce inequality and poverty, according to Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, Executive Director of UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund.

Girls' education plays a large part in global development
Girls are an important resource for global development, but those living in developing countries do not reach their full potential because they do not receive a proper education.

‘Beyond School Books’ – a podcast series on education in emergencies.
NEW YORK, USA, 15 June 2009 – An estimated 100 million girls around the world are involved in child labour, according to the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

Give girls a chance - Tackling child labour, a key to the future
Media summary of the ILO report: Give girls a chance - Tackling child labour, a key to the future.

World Day 2009: Give girls a chance: End child labour
The World Day Against Child Labour will be celebrated on 12 June 2009. The World Day this year marks the tenth anniversary of the adoption of the landmark ILO Convention No. 182, which addresses the need for action to tackle the worst forms of child labour.

Make or Break: IMF’s new lease on life must benefit Education for All
Global, 18 May 2009, The Spring Meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) are a ‘make or break’
moment for whether the G20 deal will benefit the millions of children and adults struggling to get an
education, according to a new policy report from the Global Campaign for Education (GCE).

'Education for All' Faces $1.2 Billion Financing Gap
Global, May 8, 2009—A global push to enroll children in school faces an immediate financing gap of some $1.2 billion—a situation that threatens the goal of universal education by 2015, say backers of the Education for All-Fast Track Initiative (EFA-FTI).

E-Forum on Teachers and HIV and AIDS: Reviewing achievements, identifying challenges
Limerick, Ireland, 18 to 29 May 2009 - UNESCO’s International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) and the UNAIDS Inter-Agency Task Team (IATT) on Education are organizing an e-Forum on “Teachers and HIV & AIDS: Reviewing achievements, identifying challenges” from 18 to 29 May 2009.

Educating Girls in the 21st Century
WASHINGTON, USA, March 5, 2009—In a speech to his fellow Ghanaians in the early 1900s, the visionary educator, Dr. J.E. Kwegyir Aggrey, declared, “The surest way to keep a people down is to educate the men and neglect the women. If you educate a man you simply educate an individual, but if you educate a woman you educate a family.”

Dramatic Setback for Equality in the World
STOCKHOLM, Sweden, 6th March 2009 - Sida's Director General Anders Nordström presents a new analysis of the effects of the financial crisis: Swedish companies must help to save women living in poverty in the world. After a certain time delay, the financial crisis is now hitting the world's impoverished nations. Those particularly affected are poverty stricken women. A new analysis of the situation that Sida has conducted together with researchers from Stockholm University shows why women living in poverty are at risk of becoming the crisis' biggest losers: Less girls are permitted to attend school; Female dominated professions like, for example, the textile industry risk being affected particularly hard; more women are forced into prostitution; and violence against women tends to increase in times of crisis.

Impact of the Economic Crisis on Children
Singapore, 6-7 January 2009 - The global financial crisis is amplifying the effects of the food and fuel price crises, seriously challenging the abilities of families to cope and of children to thrive. At this moment when women and children are most vulnerable, governments are faced with decreasing fiscal capacity. For children, the costs of inaction or inappropriate action can be high, and include permanently stunted physical and intellectual growth due to adversely affected nutrition, health, and schooling.

Shaping gender attitudes in the classroom
26 November 2008 - In classrooms across the Commonwealth today, boys and girls are behaving very differently. Teachers from Malaysia and Seychelles report that girls are achieving notably higher grades in some subjects, while boys’ performance is poor. In Trinidad and Tobago, many male students are showing clear resistance to learning, which is widely perceived to be a ‘girl’ thing. In some schools, female aggression is on the rise.

Sharma urges governments to address teacher salaries
3 October 2008 - Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma has called on governments to recruit, where needed, more trained and qualified teachers in order to address concerns over a global shortage of teachers.

UN event features $4.5 billion pledge to support ‘Education for All’
NEW YORK, USA, 26 September 2008 – Devli Kumari, now 11, came a long way from a stone quarry in India, where she grew up as a child labourer, to United Nations headquarters in New York, where she spoke at the launch of an ‘Education for All’ campaign during the General Assembly session this week.

How emergencies open the door to gender-equal education
GENEVA, Switzerland, 17 September 2008 - The right to education in an emergency and how it can be used to address inequalities in such situations are themes explored in two linked events in Geneva this week.

New grant unlocks education and economic opportunities in rural Africa
10 September 2008 - Camfed is delighted to announce a major new grant of $2.5 million by the Skoll Foundation. This grant is part of the Foundation’s commitment to developing ‘a global ecosystem of social entrepreneurs’.

Statement by UNGEI on the deaths of aid workers in Afghanistan
NEW YORK, USA, 13 August 2008 - The United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI) is deeply saddened by the killing in Afghanistan of four aid workers, three women and their driver, from the International Rescue Committee (IRC).  We strongly condemn the attack on these committed individuals, who worked tirelessly to improve the lives of the people in Afghanistan, especially children. We offer our deepest condolences to the families and friends of the victims at this difficult time.

Commonwealth study looks at classrooms and other aspects of schooling processes in 30 schools across seven countries
More work needs to be done on ‘school processes’ if the objectives of Education for All and the gender-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are to become a reality, according to new Commonwealth research.

UNESCO publishes The Right to Education: Monitoring standard-setting instruments of UNESCO
4 August 2008 - UNESCO emphasizes the right to education as an internationally recognized right and its establishment in a number of standard-setting instruments adopted by the United Nations and by UNESCO.

Runners’ efforts keep hundreds of girls in school
LONDON, England, 15 July 2008 - A team of 16 runners braved wind and rain to take part in the British 10K London Run on Sunday, 6 July for Camfed. So far the intrepid team has raised more than £11,000 for girls in Africa, which is enough to buy 1,466 pairs of school shoes.

Global collaboration for early childhood development
NEW YORK, New York, 10 July 2008 – Among the global early childhood community, the focus on establishing and implementing standards for learning and development is growing. These statements may be referred to as benchmarks, guidelines or standards. But they all articulate what nations hope their children will know and be able to do during their early years.  When linked to standards for teachers and programmes – and used to support teachers, monitor children’s progress or improve curricula – learning and development standards foster a fully integrated approach to early education and development.

Special podcast: Women and girls tell their stories through film and radio documentaries
NEW YORK, USA, 3 June 2008 – Click here to listen to a UNICEF Radio podcast discussion on documentaries about women and girls in southern Africa.

‘Gender and Equity’ campaign shows success, as more parents are putting girls through school
ATENTOU, Togo, 20 May 2008 – According to her school principal in Atentou, 12-year-old Céline is a model student. Four years ago, along with some 60,000 Togolese children, Céline went back to school as part of the UNICEF programme ‘Gender and Equity’. She is still in school today.

75 million children out of school, according to new UIS data
16 May 2008 - The number of primary-school-age children not in school fell by 2 million worldwide between 2005 and 2006, according to new estimates published by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS).

3000 visit UNESCO’s online forum on inclusive education
5 May 2008 - “Inclusion and quality education are two indivisible Education for All (EFA) priorities”, writes Nicholas Burnett, UNESCO’s Assistant-Director General for Education, in his contribution to the Organization’s online discussion forum. “Inclusion means responding to the diverse needs of all learners”.

Africa’s Finance Ministers Look at Education as Opportunity, Not as Expenditure
Washington, April 17, 2008 – The Education for All Fast Track Initiative is a global international partnership with the objective of ensuring accelerated progress towards the Millennium Development Goal of universal primary education by 2015.

Statement by Cheryl Gregory Faye, Head of UNGEI Secretariat, on the occasion of Global Action Week 2008
NEW YORK, 22 April 2008 – This year, Global Action Week focuses on the theme 'Quality Education to End Exclusion'. This theme recognizes the need for quality education for children everywhere, in school and out. Ensuring a quality education includes identifying the social, economic and environmental needs of the child in order to provide a space for better learning and care.

Comparative and International Education Society 52nd Annual Meeting (2008)
Teachers College, Columbia University is pleased to host the 2008 Meetings of the Comparative and International Education Society. We look forward to seeing you in New York City in March for what promises to be a dynamic meeting on a topic of great importance to CIES members, educational equity. The first session of panels will begin promptly at 8:30AM on Monday, March 17, 2008. The final session of panels will be on Friday, March 21, 2008 at 10:30AM.

International Women's Day 2008: Statement by Cheryl Gregory Faye, Head of UNGEI Secretariat
NEW YORK, USA, 7 March 2008 – This year, International Women's Day is focusing on the theme: “Investing in Women and Girls.” With more than half of the children who are not in school being girls, the importance of financing for gender equality in education should be reinforced.

Mobilizing resources for girls' education during the Commission on the Status of Women
NEW YORK, USA, 26 February 2008 – The 52nd session of the Commission on the Status of Women is under way at the United Nations. Focusing on the priorities of financing gender equality and empowering women, the annual forum commenced yesterday with a panel of experts hosted by the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI), UNICEF and the Working Group on Girls of the NGO Committee on UNICEF.

Globalization Requires Education Reforms in Middle East and North Africa, Report Says
February 4, 2008—Countries in the Middle East and North Africa need to overhaul their education systems to meet the demands of an increasingly competitive world and realize the potential of their large and growing youth population.

‘Beyond School Books’– an audio series on education in emergencies: Segment #5
NEW YORK, USA, 2 January 2008 – Providing education to children in regions and societies affected by conflict – or emerging from it – is a major challenge. Yet communities in conflict-affected areas consistently rank education as a high priority. And they demonstrate astounding resourcefulness and resilience in seeking out and providing schooling for their children.

‘Beyond School Books’– an audio series on education in emergencies: Segment #4
NEW YORK, USA, 19 December 2007 – Providing education to children in regions and societies affected by conflict – or emerging from it – is a major challenge. Yet communities in conflict-affected areas consistently rank education as a high priority. And they demonstrate astounding resourcefulness and resilience in seeking out and providing schooling for their children.

Top 10 stories 2007 for education and gender equality
The communication team for education and gender equality, working closely with the education section in Programme Division, brings its multi-media expertise to bear on MDG 2 - achieving universal primary education - and MDG 3 - promoting gender equality and empowering women. What follows, in loose chronological order, are ten of the top stories for 2007 (plus three we couldn't leave out.) Look for more in 2008.

'Beyond School Books’ – an audio series on education in emergencies: Segment #3
NEW YORK, USA, 16 November 2007 – Providing education to children in regions and societies affected by conflict – or emerging from it – is a major challenge.

Eighth Meeting of the Working Group on Education for All (14 - 16 November 2007)
The Eighth Meeting of the Working Group on EFA comes at the crucial midway point along the time-line to 2015. Despite significant advances over the past seven years, it is clear that progress must be accelerated if the six EFA Goals and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are to be reached by 2015.

'Beyond School Books’ – an audio series on education in emergencies: Segment #2
The War’s Over, Now Where’s Your Homework? Listen to a discussion about child soldiers and education in the context of humanitarian aid delivery to conflict and post-crisis countries.

'Beyond School Books’ – an audio series on education in emergencies: Segment #1
When Crises Strike Children – Education as a Human Right and Long-Term Development Tool. Listen to a discussion of the immediate and long-term needs and rights of children living in crisis zones.

UNGEI panel discusses the importance of girls' education at the Women Deliver Conference
The Women Deliver global conference on maternal mortality reduction, jointly organized by a coalition of partners including the UNGEI Global Advisory Committee members DFID, Norad, Sida, UNFPA, UNICEF and the World Bank, featured a panel on girls' education organized by UNGEI. UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Kul Gautam moderated the panel, which examined issues around the education and empowerment of girls and young women in developing countries using gender equality and life-cycle approaches.

Executive Board looks at UNICEF’s priorities in education for all
NEW YORK, 5 June 2007 – UNICEF’s Executive Board today reviewed its programming priorities in education, looking at strategies to help achieve the goal of providing quality education for all children.

UNGEI Contributes to improving EFA-FTI process in Liberia and Sierra Leone
NEW YORK, NY, 9 May 2007 - UNGEI contributed to the gender review of the country plans for the Republic of Liberia and the Republic of Sierra Leone, which were welcomed to the Education for All – Fast Track Initiative (FTI) Partnership last week.

2007 Global Action Week calls for Education as a Human Right
23 April 2007 - Education as a human right is the theme of the 2007 Global Action Week (GAW) 23-29 April 2007. This annual initiative in favour of Education for All is organized by the Global Campaign for Education (GCE), with the support of numerous partners ranging from international organizations to civil society.

A former child soldier speaks out at UN session on challenges facing girls
NEW YORK, USA, 2 March 2007 – The striking testimony of a girl who was formerly a child soldier brought an audience of hundreds to its feet for a standing ovation – and moved many to tears – at United Nations headquarters in New York this afternoon.

At UN panel, girls describe challenges keeping their peers out of school
NEW YORK, USA, 1 March 2007 – Youth panellists shared the experiences and challenges of girls growing up in their four different countries today at a discussion hosted by the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI) in New York.

Youth voices heard at opening of UN Commission on the Status of Women
NEW YORK, USA, 26 February 2007 – The 51st Session of the Commission on the Status of Women opened at United Nations headquarters in New York this morning, launching two weeks of discussions and events in the run-up to International Women’s Day.

Gender Equality Focus of Berlin Conference
28 February 2007—Women today live longer and better lives than their mothers and grandmothers. But unless they can achieve their full economic potential, families and countries will continue to pay a heavy price.

UNGEI panel at the 51st session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women
NEW YORK, NY, 23 February 2007 - The United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI) will host a panel discussion on “Partnerships for protection in the education of girls” on 1 March 2007 during the 51st Session of the UN Commission of Status of Women (CSW).

Cheryl Gregory Faye becomes new Head of UNGEI Secretariat
NEW YORK, 15 February 2007 – Cheryl Gregory Faye, former Representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in the Gambia, assumes leadership of the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI) Secretariat today.

Deputy Executive Director talks women’s and children’s rights in the Middle East and Africa
NEW YORK, USA, 10 December 2006 – As UNICEF launches its flagship annual report, ‘The State of the World’s Children’ – which focuses this year on the links between women’s rights and children’s well-being – UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Rima Salah has just returned from an extensive field visit in which those links featured prominently.

Girls’ education – a lethal blow to AIDS
December 2006 – Angeline Mugwendere, 26, fears that almost half of her classmates from primary school in rural Zimbabwe are HIV positive by now. Some of her fellow pupils have already died from related illnesses.

World AIDS Day 2006
1 December 2006 – Calling the struggle against the HIV/AIDS pandemic “the greatest challenge of our generation,” Secretary-General Kofi Annan called on international leaders to make sure they deliver on all the promises that their governments have made.

Interview with Gene Sperling from Wide Angle
November 2006 - On 5 September 2006: Gene Sperling, senior fellow for economic policy and director of the Center for Universal Education at the Council on Foreign Relations, discusses the global effort to achieve a free education for every child in the world by 2015 with Wide Angle anchor Daljit Dhaliwal in Washington DC.

Interview with Angelique Kidjo from Wide Angle
November 2006 - Singer/songwriter and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, Angélique Kidjo was interviewed in New York City by Judy Katz, producer and writer for Back to School.

CAMFED Director Wins International Prize
Octopber 2006 – CAMFED Director Angeline Mugwendere was awarded the World Women's Summit Foundation Prize for Women's Creativity in Rural Life. She received this prize on World Rural Women's Day (Oct 15th) for her work as the founder of the CAMFED Association - the growing network of young women who have graduated from school and are now acting as mentors and role models for girls across sub-Saharan Africa.

‘Global Monitoring Report’ links early childhood care with lifelong benefits
NEW YORK, USA, 1 November 2006 – Early childhood care and education make a real and lasting difference in children’s lives, says this year’s ‘Education for All Global Monitoring Report’, released by UNESCO and launched today at UNICEF headquarters in New York.

Early childhood care and education is the forgotten link in the education chain
Early childhood care and education is the special theme of this year’s EFA Global Monitoring Report, which will be launched by the Director-General of UNESCO Koïchiro Matsuura and UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman at UNICEF House in New York on 26 October.

VOY Discussion: UN study on violence against children
13 September 2005 / New York / Geneva – The study commissioned by the UN Secretary-General on violence against children has been using the discussion forums on Voices of Youth to get ideas from young people about how we can take real action to prevent and end this violence.

The UN Secretary-General’s Study Report on Violence against Children
On 11 October 2006, the UN General Assembly will consider the findings and recommendations of the UN Secretary-General’s Study on Violence against Children, a global effort to paint a detailed picture of the nature, extent and causes of violence against children, and to propose clear recommendations for action to prevent and respond to it.

World Teachers' Day 2006
5 October 2006 - World Teachers’ Day is a global tribute to teachers and their contribution to learning and social development.

UNICEF Executive Director: Girls’ education vital for developing world
NEW YORK, USA, 25 September 2006 – More than half of all children who do not go to school are girls. Achieving universal primary education is a Millennium Development Goal and one of UNICEF’s primary objectives.

UNICEF Executive Director speaks up for women at Clinton Global Initiative
NEW YORK, USA, 22 September 2006 – Leading experts on child welfare and global development have been gathering in New York to discuss ways of empowering women to aid progress.

Boost for the Education For All Fast Track Initiative
18 September 2006 — The Education for All Fast Track Initiative (FTI) received a boost on Sunday with the Netherlands, UK and the World Bank pledging additional predictable, long-term funding, and 17 African countries reciprocating with concrete national education action programs.

Donor meeting reviews the work of UNICEF on Girls’ Education and the way forward
NEW YORK, NY, USA, 19 September 2006 - On 11 September 2006, donors for girls’ education met in New York to review achievements and challenges in girls’ education during UNICEF’s medium-term strategic plan (MTSP) for 2002-2005.

Save the Children: Armed conflict creating crisis in education for 43 million children
WASHINGTON, DC, USA, 12 September 2006 — More than 43 million children living in countries wracked by war and armed conflict are being left without the chance to go to school, according to a new report published today by Save the Children. 

‘Child-Friendly Schools (CFS) for Africa’ Second Annual Capacity Building Workshop
NEW YORK, NY, 8 August 2006 - The ‘Child-Friendly Schools (CFS) for Africa’ Second Annual Capacity Building Workshop will be held in Maputo, Mozambique from 21-24 August 2006 with government counterparts, UNICEF officers and other partners attending.

AIDS Conference reviews evidence linking girls’ education and HIV prevention
NEW YORK, NY, 10 August 2006 - Members of the Inter-Agency Task Team (IATT) on Education are organising a session on "Leadership in Girls' Education: An Essential Component in HIV Prevention" at the XVI International AIDS Conference to be held 13-18 August 2006 in Toronto, Canada.

WFP and Stanford University Press release new series on hunger
GENEVA, 28 July 2006 - The World Food Programme has released the first edition of its new World Hunger Series, an annual publication which will focus on hunger and practical strategies to end it.

Working Group on EFA meeting (19-21 July)
28 July 2006 - The seventh meeting of the Working Group on EFA was held from 19 to 21 July 2006 in UNESCO, Paris.

Partners respond to the Middle East crisis
UNGEI partners have been expressing serious concern about civilian casualties and new risks to health from escalating violence in the Middle East. To date, dozens of children have been killed, and many more have been injured. Working in partnership, UNGEI organizations are moving quickly to respond to the immediate and urgent needs of affected children and families in the Middle East.

Call for abolition of school fees
Ghana's Minister of Education, Science and Sports, Papa Owusu Ankomah, appeals to the G8 leaders meeting in St Petersburg to help poor countries abolish school fees.

'Junior 8’ delegates meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin
PUSHKIN, Russia, 14 July 2006 – Russian President Vladimir Putin made a surprise visit to meet with delegates at the 'Junior 8' Youth Forum outside of St. Petersburg today, catching the participants in the middle of a video conference with youths in Cairo.

UNGEI Global Advisory Committee Meeting, 17-18 July 2006
NEW YORK, USA, 11 July 2006 - The UNGEI Global Advisory Committee (GAC) meeting takes place next week at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, 17-18 July.

EFA Working Group, 19-21 July 2006
PARIS, France, 11 July 2006 - This year’s Education for All (EFA) Working Group is set for 19-21 July at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. 

‘Junior 8’ Youth Forum prepares to meet during G8 summit in St. Petersburg
NEW YORK, USA, 5 July 2006 – In the run-up to the G8 meeting, as government leaders fine-tune their agendas and prepare for the annual international forum, adolescents from the G8 countries are getting ready for a forum of their own.

Promoting flexible education for nomadic populations in Africa
29 June 2006 - Increased access and retention to education and training opportunities for nomadic populations was the aim of a four-day workshop held in Garissa, Kenya, from 20 to 23 June 2006.

Art Auction for CAMFED
29 June 2006 - Two doctoral students from York persuaded artists from as far afield as the USA and Malawi to donate works of art for an auction in support of CAMFED.

Refugee girls miss out on learning
LONDON (AlertNet), 20 June 2006 - Many refugee girls and young women miss out on education for practical reasons such as a lack of separate toilets, but making simple improvements to camp schools can encourage more to attend, the U.N. deputy high commissioner for refugees said on Tuesday.

UNESCO launches World Campaign on disaster prevention through education
16 June 2006 - Disaster prevention starts at school. This is the major theme of a campaign launched on 15 June by UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura and ISDR Director Sálvano Briceño at UNESCO’s Paris headquarters.

Central Asian Republics and Kazakhstan to discuss EFA developments
30 May 2006 - High-level officials from the Ministry of Education of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and host government Turkmenistan will meet next month to discuss progress made in achieving the Education for All (EFA) goals at the Annual CARK Education Forum.  The Forum will be held from 12 to 15 June 2006 at the President Hotel in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.

World Bank to prioritize investment in education through EFA Fast Track Initiative
The World Bank is committed to help countries improve their education systems and has pledged to continue supporting the EFA Fast Track Initiative (FTI), a global partnership between donor and developing countries to ensure accelerated progress towards the Education for All and Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of universal primary education by 2015.

Global walk: A triumphant step against child hunger
ROME, Italy, 22 May 2006 - On Sunday 21 May, more than 760,000 people in 118 countries and 420 locations, across 24 time zones, participated in Fight Hunger: Walk the World.

Missed Target Triggers Call for Bold Steps - Will they be Enough?
2005 was an historic year. As world leaders gathered at the G8 Summit in June, and the World Summit in September an unprecedented mobilisation of global civil society came together to demand urgent action to ensure that the Millennium Development Goals are met. However, although summit leaders responded with promises of new aid, they remained deafeningly silent about their collective failure to reach the first MDG target – to get equals numbers of girls and boys into primary and secondary school by 2005.

The School Fee Abolition Initiative (SFAI)
School fees are one of the biggest barriers in the expansion of schooling in the poorest countries. Experience in several countries indicates that the private cost of schooling to households prevents children from accessing and completing quality basic education.

Global Action Week 2006 - Every Child Needs a Teacher
24 April 2006 - Global Campaign for Education (GCE) Global Action Week is here and GCE coalitions in over 100 countries along with Education International, UNESCO and teachers’ unions worldwide have been coming up with amazing ways to mobilise millions of children and the public to shout out to local, national and international governments with the message that:  ‘Every Child Needs A Teacher’ if the goal of free quality education for all is to be realised.

Leaders back Education for All and urge rich nations to pledge funds
WASHINGTON, DC, USA, 21 April 2006—On the eve of the International Monetary Fund-World Bank Spring Meetings, World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz and the United Kingdom's Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown called on rich nations to increase funding for education so that every child on every continent can go to school.

UK Government announces $15 billion to deliver education for all
MAPUTO, Mozambique, 10 April 2006 - Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, and Secretary of State for International Development, Hilary Benn, committed today that the UK Government would spend at least $15 billion, or £8.5 billion, on aid for education over the next ten years.

UNICEF at Oxford: Education experts to confer on reaching children in conflicts
NEW YORK, USA, 10 April 2006 – Around the world approximately 115 million children are out of school. At least half of those children live in countries affected by conflict, while many more are excluded from the basic right to an education because of natural disasters and other crises.

Lessons learned: African countries share experiences with abolition of school fees
NEW YORK, USA , 5 April 2006 – School fees are keeping the most vulnerable children out classrooms across the developing world. In countries where conflict, drought, famine and the HIV pandemic prevail, school fees hit these children the hardest. They need the safe environment, routine and services that schools can provide.

At the Children’s World Water Forum, a girl from Kenya shares her views
MEXICO CITY, Mexico, 20 March 2006 – Yesterday, a delegation of African children attended the 4th World Water Forum, where adult decision-makers are meeting to raise awareness about global water issues. The young people have been participating in the Children’s World Water Forum, which is also being held here this week.

International Women's Day 2006
6 March 2006 - International Women's Day (8 March) is an occasion marked by women's groups around the world.

Go Girls!
Go Girls! Education for Every Child is UNICEF’s public outreach campaign to raise awareness, generate public support and mobilize resources for girls’ education in countries around the world.

CAMFED Director on Global Stage in China
November 2005 - CAMFED Director Lucy Lake has been invited to speak about the importance of education for young women across sub-Saharan Africa at a global conference in Beijing organised by the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI).

Abused and neglected, millions of children have become virtually invisible says UNICEF report
LONDON, UK, 14 December 2005 – Hundreds of millions of children are suffering from severe exploitation and discrimination and have become virtually invisible to the world, UNICEF said today in a major report that explores the causes of exclusion and the abuses children experience.

Nelson Mandela helps launch ‘Schools for Africa’ campaign
BERLIN, Germany, 20 May 2005 – Around 45 million children in sub-Saharan Africa – or nearly every other child – are out of school. Nowhere else in the world are children so deprived of education.

World AIDS Day
Growing evidence shows that getting and keeping young people in school, particularly girls, dramatically lowers their vulnerability to HIV.

Delegates at meeting on ‘Education for All’ say urgent work is needed to achieve 2015 goal
BEIJING, China, 30 November 3005 - With more than 115 million children worldwide still out of school, and more than 770 million adults illiterate, delegates to the Fifth Meeting of the High Level Group on Education for All said urgent work must be done to reach the goal of universal primary education by 2015.

Building a just society through gender equality
BEIJING, China, 26-27 November 2005 – A new UNICEF report has proposed critical steps to help the countries that are struggling to achieve educational equality for girls.

Many countries fail to meet goals for girls’ education
CHINA, Beijing, 26 November 2005 – The world has failed in an important step towards achieving educational equality for girls this year; forty-six countries will not meet international goals for gender parity in schools set for 2005.

UNICEF launches global UNITE FOR CHILDREN UNITE AGAINST AIDS campaign
NEW YORK, 24 October 2005 – UNICEF is launching a campaign at the United Nations to alert the world to the fact that children are missing from the global AIDS agenda.

Lydia Wilbard’s Address to Mrs. Annan’s Special Event for First Spouses
On 14 September 2005, as more than 170 Heads of State/Government gathered for the 2005 United Nations World Summit, Nane Annan, wife of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, hosted a briefing for first spouses at UN Headquarters. The briefing, co-sponsored by UNICEF and UNAIDS, focussed on girls' education and HIV/AIDS as they relate to development.

UN World Summit: First Spouses event focuses on girls’ education and HIV/AIDS
NEW YORK, 14 September 2005 – As world leaders gathered for the 2005 United Nations World Summit, Nane Annan, wife of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, hosted a briefing for First Spouses that highlighted the relationship between girls’ education, HIV/AIDS and development.

School feeding programmes encourage children to attend school
There are 300 million chronically hungry children in the world. 100 million of them do not attend school. The majority are girls.

‘Scholarship Plus’ for Girls in Sub-Saharan Africa
Mentors. Community involvement. Female role models. HIV/AIDS education. Those may not sound like parts of a typical scholarship program. But then, the African Girls Scholarship Program is not typical.