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Colm Brophy, T.D., Minister of State for Overseas Development Aid and Diaspora will participate in a virtual roundtable discussion on ‘Girls’ and Adolescents’ Participation in Building a More Equal World’ as part of the Generation Equality Forum in Mexico City. Minister Brophy joins UNICEF Executive Director, Henrietta Fore and Alice Albright, CEO of the Global Partnership for Education to hear from girl leaders and activists from around the world about how COVID-19 has affected them and what their priorities are for achieving gender equality.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Minister Brophy said:

“COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on women and girls globally. It is estimated that 20 million more girls may be out of school as a result of the pandemic, resulting in approximately 150 million girls of secondary school age missing out on an education.

“Ireland has consistently advocated for adolescent girls’ education to be at the heart of the Generation Equality. We have done this for two reasons.  Firstly - education is the right of every girl, everywhere. Secondly, education is the catalyst to achieving gender equality.

“That is why over the past year, Ireland has been advocating for a strong focus on adolescent girls’ education - the Drive for Five. We are calling for Governments to ensure access to 12 years of free education, supportive schools and gender responsive curricula, relevant education and skills, ensuring girls are safe from violence, and keeping girls healthy and in school.”

ENDS Press Office 29 March 2021

Notes for Editors:

• The 2021 Generation Equality Forum, an initiative of UN Women, with the governments of France and Mexico, aims to spur major financial and political commitments for gender equality.
• Ireland is championing girls’ education as an important priority in the Forum.  In February, Ireland co-hosted a youth-led series of global dialogues entitled “Evidence and experience: Adolescent Girls’ Education in the Generation Equality Forum”.  The outcome document of the dialogues, the "Youth Communique for Adolescent Girls' Education in the Generation Equality Forum" is being presented at the Generation Equality forum today.
• Ireland supports quality education as a human right for all children but recognises that girls more often than boys are denied this right and that investing in educating girls bring positive social and economic benefits to the girls themselves, their families and future families, their communities and wider society.
• Ireland is scaling up support for girls’ education and empowerment under the Global Ireland initiative and A Better World, Ireland’s Policy for International Development, including investing a minimum of €250 million of ODA in education over five years, with a strong focus on girls’ education.