UNITED NATIONS GIRLS EDUCATION INITIATIVE

In a concerted effort to address gender disparities in education, Pakistan’s Federal Ministry of Education, with the support of the National Commission for Human Development (NCHD), the UNGEI Secretariat, the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), launched the Pakistan Girls’ Education Initiative (PGEI) on 9 December at the Pakistan National Council for Arts, Islamabad.
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UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Angélique Kidjo, known throughout West Africa and around the world for her powerful singing voice, urged students at a Dakar elementary school to speak up about what is often a silent crime: violence in schools. Read More >

Ujumbe Kiwabantu and her family were displaced by the conflict in DR Congo two years ago, when they fled their home and came to live with distant relatives in Walikale, a remote rainforest territory. Read More >

It is for a very special event that we gather here today:  the launching of the Pakistan Girls’ Education Initiative (PGEI). Read More >

Schools in developed countries might take some basics for granted, including skilled teachers and an atmosphere that is conducive to children’s well-being. Read More >

There are 45 million children in Africa who desperately want to go to school, but can’t. Read More >

WFP Zambia is providing school meals to 300,000 children in 829 schools in the country. School meals encourage children from poor households to go to school, stay in class and learn. Read More >

 In a sustained effort to provide primary education for all, a UNICEF-supported programme of Complementary Elementary Education (CEE) is attempting to reach the children and young adults in Eritrea who had initially missed the opportunity to attend school Read More >

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. Read More >

“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. Read More >

For three days (17th to 19th November 2010), the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) is holding a workshop on Governance at the Jacaranda Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya. Read More >

When she was eight years old, Aisatou Ba quit school and began working as a maid. Though she begged her parents to let her stay in school, the economic pressure on the family proved too strong. Read More >

For three days (17th to 19th November 2010), the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) is holding a workshop on Governance at the Jacaranda Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya. Read More >

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. Read More >

UNESCO Bangkok together with the Office of Education Council of Thailand (OEC) is organizing a Regional Seminar on Teacher Policies in Asia-Pacific that will be held at Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel, in Bangkok. Read More >

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.
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As the FAWE Executive Director Dr. Codou Diaw and executive members meet with donors, partners and Friends of FAWE (FoF) all around the world to talk about FAWE’s work and hopes, the communication team is in the field capturing pictures of beneficiaries and collecting stories of human interest. Read More >

Ten years since the adoption of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Benin is today on track to ensure primary education for all by 2015, provided current efforts are maintained. Read More >

First Lady Azeb Mesfin has been steadfast in her determination to collaborate with USAID on the award of scholarships to meritorious girls who would otherwise have to drop out of school. Read More >

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.  Read More >

The Awaaz Do on-line campaign was launched today to mobilize Indian society to speak up for the more than eight million children currently out of school in the country. Read More >

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). Read More >

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. Read More >

Last week, Camfed Directors Ann Cotton and Brooke Hutchinson and scholarship alumna Enita Mashika attended the prestigious Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting in New York City. Read More >

For two days, partners from United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), The Forum for African Educationalists’ (FAWE) Regional Secretariat, FAWE National Chapters and government partners gathered at the Silver Spring Hotel in Nairobi to discuss the issue of Girls’ Education and Gender Equality within the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative’ (UNGEI) vision.
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“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. Read More >

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. Read More >

School fees are widely recognized as a major barrier to achieving Millennium Development Goal 2 on universal access to primary education. Read More >

A brainstorming session to examine ways to make the case for education by showing its powerful impact on all Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will be held today, as world leaders gather in New York to review progress on the MDGs.
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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. Read More >

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. Read More >

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. Read More >

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. Read More >

World leaders – possibly the largest-ever gathering of heads of state – will meet at the United Nations from 20-22 September. Read More >

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”. Read More >

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. Read More >

Education is a key component of United Nations Millennium Development Goal 3: to promote gender equality and empowerment of women. Read More >

In 1990, seven-year-old Vera Tavares starred in a WFP documentary about the nutritious lunches that were keeping her in school. Read More >

There have been some tremendous achievements with regard to universal primary education. Read More >

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. Read More >

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

Christine, 14, lives in a camp for displaced people near the international airport here in the Haitian capital. Read More >

Revisiting solutions involving the private sector 9-10 September 2010, Paris Read More >

Falling pregnant used to mean the end of school – and of much more - for girls in Zimbabwe, so a new regulation replacing immediate expulsion with maternity leave has been welcomed. Read More >

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. Read More >

Long Kan Buthom, 11, performs a traditional Khmer dance with ease. Read More >

Elizabeth, 12, is fighting to achieve a dream that was once also her father’s – completing an education. Read More >

Habibata Ouattara was 17 years old when she was removed from school and forced to marry a man her family had chosen for her. Read More >

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. Read More >

The city of Herat is the setting for ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’ – Khaled Hosseini’s powerful, best-selling novel about the harsh conditions of women in Afghanistan. Read More >

Rina, 16, has copper-painted toenails and a matching floral ‘kurta,’ or blouse. A pendant of the local tribal goddess Sarna hangs from her neck. Read More >

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. Read More >

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. Read More >

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. Read More >

Hundreds of people, many of them adolescents, rallied in the streets of Narsingdi district recently to call for an end to ‘Eve teasing’ – a term used to describe the public bullying of girls and women by boys and men Read More >

At 6 a.m., Atleta Suomie is already hard at work sweeping the floor and arranging the merchandise in her family’s small store Read More >

Speaking on CSPAN last week in a panel discussion, Elizabeth Leu, senior education advisor with the AED Global Education Center, shared her expertise on efforts to improve education in Sudan, a country that has experienced civil war for 21 years. Read More >

We, Heads of State and Government, and Eminent persons, gathered at the 2010 FIFA World Cup Education Summit on 11 July 2010 in Pretoria at the invitation of the Government of South Africa. Read More >

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. Read More >

International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell joined African leaders on Sunday to hear a young girl’s plea to deliver education for 72 million children worldwide Read More >

The Waterloo Junior Secondary School for Girls is a very good example of a successful partnership. Read More >

Today marks the six-month anniversary of the earthquake that devastated Haiti, killing more than 220,000, displacing many more and severely affecting the education system. Read More >

Muna Ali Hirsi, 24, is a vibrant and motivated life-skills mentor who works with young people aged 12 to 21 in north-west Somalia (Somaliland). Read More >

On January 12, 2010, the earthquake that struck Haiti took the lives of 300, 000 people and destroyed most of the administrative and educational infrastructure of the country. Read More >

“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). Read More >

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. Read More >

ISTANBUL, Turkey, 30 June 2010 – While Turkey has made significant progress in reducing the number of out-of-school girls in recent decades, the number of girls in school continues to decline sharply by the fifth and sixth grades. Read More >

MONGU, Zambia, 17 June 2010 – For Inonge Sitali, 14, a radio dialogue with peers about the FIFA World Cup 2010 – which kicked off 11June in South Africa – is more than a casual conversation. It is an opportunity to discuss important gender issues in her local community of Mongu, in western Zambia. Read More >

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

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In Mali, approximately two out of three children aged 5 to 17 work. This represents over 3 million children. Few of them go to school and 40 per cent of children aged 5 to 14 perform hazardous tasks. The situation of migrant girls is of particular concern. ILO Online reports. Read More >

Education is often cited as the key to eliminating child labour. But by itself, education isn’t enough. ILO Online reports from Bolivia showing how adding decent work for adults to education of children, together, with a quotient of political will, can make the equation work. Read More >

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. Read More >

Sophie, 13, was promised into an arranged marriage by her older brother. When she refused, he physically abused her. “He beat me up and told me he was going to kill me,” Sophie said. Read More >

Surrounded by the concrete bricks and flood-stained walls of her school, Anta, 11, attends classes and dreams of becoming a paediatrician. She knows she is lucky. Read More >

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. Read More >

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. Read More >

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. Read More >

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. Read More >

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. Read More >

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. Read More >

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. Read More >

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. Read More >

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.   Read More >

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. Read More >

NEW YORK, USA, 17 May 2010 – For millions of children worldwide, physical and emotional abuse and gender-based violence are a harsh daily reality. Read More >

DAKAR, Senegal, 17 May 2010 – A conference designed to find new ways to ensure that some 56 million children – most of them girls – do not miss out on their right to education opens in Senegal today. Read More >

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. Read More >

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. Read More >

Press Conference on the 10th Anniversary of the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI) global conference. “Engendering Empowerment: Education and Equality” (E4 for short).  Read More >

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. Read More >

Bablu, 14, lives with her family in a small village in rural Rajasthan. She was 13 when her community decided she should be married. Read More >

BEMBÉRÉKÉ, Benin, 20 April 2010 – Going to school can be a long, lonely walk for a young girl in Benin. That’s if her parents even let her pursue an education. Read More >

KYENJOJO DISTRICT, Uganda, 19 April 2010 – Peace Margaret Atwooki, 14, is back in school after a four-year absence. Read More >

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. Read More >

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 Read More >

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. Read More >

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. Read More >

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. Read More >

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. Read More >

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

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. Read More >

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. Read More >

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. Read More >

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. Read More >

GARIN GUIZO, Niger , 10 March 2010 – As dawn breaks in this rural village in southern Niger, the daily routine begins the same way it has for generations. Eleven-year-old Zhara lights the fire, warms a pot of water and sweeps the family yard. Read More >

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. Read More >

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.   Read More >

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. Read More >

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. Read More >

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. Read More >

During the Taliban’s reign, fewer than one million children went to school in Afghanistan. Now about six million children are registered in schools and about one third of them are girls. Sida’s efforts in educating boys and girls in Afghanistan have delivered results. Read More >

TABOTA, Benin, 4 January 2010 –“Before, girls did not go far in their studies. Today, girls have a chance and they are coming back to school”, said Céline Nambi, speaking on behalf of the Mothers Association of Tabota, a remote village in northern Benin. Read More >

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. Read More >