At the Women Deliver 2023 Conference, participants at the Education Zone were asked to share messages to world leaders. These messages have been collated and summarized in the open letter below, reflecting the priorities of gender equality stakeholders and conference participants from across the world.
The letter calls for 5 keys actions to accelerate progress on gender equality in access to, within, and through education.
"Dear World Leaders,
Re: Urgent action to accelerate progress on gender equality in education
Despite significant progress in getting as many girls as boys to access education, we have still not achieved gender equality in education. And around the world, girls are falling further and further behind. Yet improving girls’ education will unlock wider benefits of gender equality for a healthier, more prosperous, and fairer society.
We need you to take urgent action:
- Invest in educating girls, the smartest investment a country can make.
- Prioritize making education inclusive and accessible for the most marginalized girls, especially girls living with disabilities and forcibly displaced girls.
- Make schools safe places where girls can learn without the threat of violence.
- Build climate-resilient education systems to ensure learning continuity for girls, whose education experiences are disproportionately affected by climate events.
- Guarantee access to gender-transformative early learning to address harmful gender social norms.
There can be no sustainable development if gender equality is not embedded at the heart of education systems. We can’t afford to leave anyone behind.
With hope,"
- Amplify Girls
- Development Research and Project Center
- Educate!
- GPE
- UNESCO
- Women Deliver
