130 million girls are denied the human right to education around the world, UN experts* said today, calling on States to step up efforts for the realisation of this fundamental human right. Ahead of the International Day of Education, the experts issued the following statement:
"The world is failing 130 million girls denied the human right to education - a fundamental, transformative, and empowering right for every human being.
Universal access to quality education enables individuals, communities, countries and the world to build wellbeing and prosperity for all. All States have made commitments to realise the right to education for all, but fewer than half of the world's countries have achieved gender parity in primary education. Denying girls and other vulnerable groups their fundamental right to education is discrimination at its most debilitating. It impoverishes our world as it deprives us of the creativity, ingenuity and contributions of more than half of humanity.
Today, our thoughts are with the women and girls of Afghanistan in particular, as it is the only country in the world that prohibits education beyond primary level for women and girls. We condemn the discriminatory policies of the de facto authorities in Afghanistan who have barred women's and girls' access to secondary schools, universities, and other centres of learning, and repeat our call to the authorities to urgently end these illegal restrictions. They amount to abuse that not only harm women and girls, but are also seriously damaging the country and its future. We urge the international community to do everything in its power to have these policies reversed.
Education is a life-long learning process that actively contributes to building just, peaceful and sustainable societies.
On this International Day of Education, we call upon all States to take concrete steps to rectify gender and other disparities that prevent the enjoyment of this fundamental right for all."
