UNESCO - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

07/01/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 07/02/2024 09:02

UNESCO at the AU’s first Pan-African Conference on Girls' and Women’s Education

The economic impact of failing to invest in girls' education is severe. UNESCO estimates showthat by 2030, the annual private costs of children leaving school early and having less than basic skills in sub-Saharan Africa will represent 19% and 26% of the region's GDP, respectively. Economic losses due to girls not learning amount to US$210 billion for girls and US$190 billion for boys.

The African Union's International Centre for Girls' and Women's Education in Africa, a former UNESCO Category 2 Centre, is convening the first Pan-African Conference on Girls' and Women's Educationin Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from July 2-5, 2024. Under the theme, "Prioritizing girls and women's education: A strategy for increased access to inclusive lifelong quality and relevant learning in Africa," the event aims to accelerate collective, strategic and catalytic action for girls' education on the continent.

UNESCO is a co-sponsor of the conference, and will support different sessions of the event. "Our support for this conference stems from our strong belief in the transformative power of investing in girls' and women's education from an early age to accelerate progress," said Stefania Giannini, Assistant Director-General for Education at UNESCO.

Update on progress in transforming learning

During the conference, UNESCO will provide updates on progress by countries on the continent since the 2022 Transforming Education Summit. This progress is being documented by the Global Platform for Gender Equality and Girls' and Women's Empowermentin and through Education, a multistakeholder partnership co-led by UNESCO and UNICEF. It supports the development of gender-transformative education policies and practices by providing data, resources, and technical guidance. It monitors progress towards gender equality goals, ensuring that policies lead to tangible improvements in girls' and women's education through the Global Accountability Dashboard.

UNESCO will also showcase the work of the five laureates of the UNESCO Prize for Girls' and Women's Education from the African region including:

  • Girls Livelihood and Mentorship Initiative from the United Republic of Tanzania which supports girls in secondary school to transition safely between education levels, complete their education, and develop into confident leaders. Their flagship programmes, Binti Shupavu and Kisa, have positively impacted 14,700 girls in 11 districts in the Arusha and Kilimanjaro regions.
  • Girl MOVE Academy from Mozambique which empowers women and girls to break the cycle of poverty through education and mentorship. Their project, unblocking girls' education and opportunities through new reference models, has positively changed the lives of over 5,000 adolescent girls and young women since 2014.
  • Girl Child Network from Kenya which increases access to quality primary school education for vulnerable children in hardest-to-reach areas. Since 2012, the project has reached over 51,900 children in 240 primary schools, including more than 25,900 marginalized out-of-school girls.
  • Misr El Kheir Foundation from Egypt which supports girls' transition from primary to secondary education and the completion of a full cycle of basic education. Their project has expanded girls' access to quality education in more than 290 of Egypt's poorest communities, enrolling 27,750 children since 2010.
  • Female Students Network Trust from Zimbabwe which empowers female students in tertiary education through leadership development and mentorship programmes. Their campaign to establish sexual harassment policies and improve accountability in tertiary education institutions has had a significant impact across 36 institutions in Zimbabwe.

UNESCO will also showcase collaborative work supported by UNESCO across this continent. This includes UNESCO's International Institute for Education Planning's co-leadership of the Gender at the Centre Initiative, the UNESCO International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa's analytical work and learnings from its co-leadership of the Global Partnership for Education's Knowledge and Innovation Exchange Africa 19 Hub, and UNESCO's support to the Our Rights, Our Lives, Our Futures (O3) initiative.

During the conference, UNESCO will focus on driving efforts to advance gender equality in and through education, including putting gender equality at the centre of education plans, policies and legislation, promoting safe educational environments for girls, ensuing access to teaching content that empowers, including through comprehensive sexuality education, and ensure better gender and education data to inform action.

"During the conference, we aim to foster meaningful dialogue and engage with partners on the broadest scale possible. It's only through this that we can ensure sustainable results for girls on the continent," stated Justine Sass who leads the work on inclusion and gender equality in education at UNESCO.