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The Ugandan President, who committed himself to personally deliver the document to the first-ever UN Special Session on Children in September in New York, called on all African governments to "participate and accomplish the task" to move girls' education forward. - I am honoured that the children of Africa have faith in me to carry their Action Plan to New York, Uganda President Museveni told the 150 youth participants who participated in the launching ceremony. The Girls' Education Movement Conference, was hosted by the Government of Uganda together with UNICEF and the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE). Over 150 youth and 20 ministers and deputy-ministers of Education participated from 40 African countries. The Platform for Action, discussed and debated by youth, Ministers of Education and experts, spells out eleven points to promote quality education for girls in Africa. Among its measures, it calls for a concerted effort to advocate with governments and stakeholders for greater resources and legislation, to ensure girls participate in decisions that affect them, to abolish all harmful practices that act as barriers to girls' education, to provide for equal opportunities in science math and technology and ensure girls participate in decisions that affect them. - Whenever we involve girls in addressing problems, interventions have a greater impact, FAWE Executive Director Penina Mlama said. In a region, severely affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic, the three-day conference also focussed on the need to ensure the safety and security of girls both inside and outside of schools. "It is not just about health and sex education, it is about empowering girls to break the cycle of subordination," UNICEF Regional Director Urban Jonsson told the Conference. - In study after study, girls' education emerges as the single best investment that any society can make, UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy told the Conference earlier this week. "Educated girls become educated women - women who participate in the social, economic and political life of their nation. They are more likely to be healthy, to have smaller families and to have health and educated children." The official document emerging from the Conference will also be presented this week to the SMART Partnership Dialogue, where 14 Heads of State will meet with business leaders to discuss development and investment, with a focus on how social issues come into play. Source: Based on UNICEF
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