United Nations Population Fund or UNFPA Executive Director says despite advances in recent years, girls continue to suffer severe disadvantages, discrimination and exclusion, merely for being young and female.
Babatunde Osotimehin in a statement on Sunday marking the International Day of the Girl Child says the world has an unprecedented opportunity to focus on the power of girls to drive progress and transform it.
The Director says prominently featuring girls’ rights in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development last month, indicates that the international community responded enthusiastically to the evidence that investing in girls yields huge returns.
The official adds that the new agenda acknowledges that increased attention to the health and well-being of the world’s adolescent girls, including their sexual and reproductive health is a necessary condition for success.
The Director points out that the new agenda calls powerfully for a stronger focus on adolescent girls across sectors.
The official calls on world leaders to seriously focus on preventive and protective investments to achieve full gender equality.