Today, October 11, 2012, the World Bank is proud to join others around the world in celebrating the first International Day of the Girl Child. The World Bank, working with governments and other partners including the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative, is committed to supporting interventions that are proven to address gender equality because we know that gender equality is smart economics. Enabling girls and young women to have the chance to learn in order to lead healthy, productive lives so they can positively contribute to their families, their communities, and their countries requires sustained investments in data collection, research, dialogue, and effective interventions. Today we celebrate the progress achieved and recognize the work ahead.
The following are select resources on girls' education to help you celebrate the International Day of the Girl!
Slideshow - 10 Things you Should Know about Girls' Education
2012 World Development Report, Gender Equality and Development and the companion piece Getting to Equal: Promoting Gender Equality through Human Development
Recent blogs from our April 2012 Colloquium 'Getting to Equal in Education: Addressing Gender and Multiple Sources of Disadvangate to Achieve Learning':
- Interview: A “Bright Horizon” for Girls’ Education. Amina Az-Zubair, CEO, Center for Development Policy Solutions and former Senior Special Assistant to the President of Nigeria on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) share her thoughts on the links between girls’ education and economic growth; key actions for “getting to equal” for girls; and the path for girls’ education beyond the 2015 MDG deadline.
- Girls' education: Where do we stand? and Getting to Equal in Education. Elizabeth King, Director of Education at the World Bank, discusses why gender equality is smart economics and what the World Bank is doing to actively advance Learning for All.
- Education—An Integral Piece of the Gender Puzzle. Jeni Klugman, Director of Gender and Development at the World Bank, talks about how gender is a cross-cutting an issue and how each sector has a role to play in working towards gender equality.
Also, follow @Wbeducation for quotes, information, and statistics on girls’ education and use the hashtag #ittakes to respond to World Bank President Jim Kim's question #whatwillittake to get all girls in schools worldwide?, or post a response on the blog.
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