Response to G7 commitment to girls’ education
A year ago I asked Prime Minister Trudeau and Canada to make a commitment to girls’ education at their G7 Summit. Today they delivered. G7 countries, the World Bank and others committed $2.9 billion to put more girls in school over the next few years.
This commitment will give more girls hope that they can build a brighter future for themselves and their countries. It gives young women in developing countries the opportunity to pursue careers instead of early marriage and child labor.
And this commitment gives all of us the chance to create a safer, healthier and wealthier world. Girls’ education is critical to many of the challenges the G7 discussed during this Summit — strengthening the global economy, growing the middle class, decreasing poverty, combatting climate change and keeping our countries safe.
I am grateful to Prime Minister Trudeau for leading this effort and to all leaders — inside and outside the G7 — who pledged new money to help fill the education funding gap. This would not have been possible without months of work by my fellow members on the Gender Equality Advisory Council. On behalf of 130 million girls around the world, thank you for your vision and leadership.
We have more work to do to build a world where every girl can learn and lead, where every girl can choose her own future. But today I am grateful for this significant step forward.
