Australia has signed on to the Statement of Action to Accelerate Marginalised Girls' Education Outcomes and Gender Equality, reaffirming our commitment to advocate for policies and investments that empower girls in the Indo-Pacific region and globally.
Australia joins other governments, business and aid agencies in signing onto the Statement of Action which was initiated by the The UK Department for International Development (DFID), in partnership with Global Citizen and Chime for Change. The Statement sets out how we will take individual, collective and complementary action on 4 interlinked areas where the evidence shows us that we can achieve transformational and cost-effective change for marginalised girls:
- marginalised girls and women shaping their education
- targeted financing for marginalised girls' education
- data and evidence for gender equitable planning and programming
- reducing barriers to marginalised girls' education
Australia will focus on girls' education, disability-inclusive education systems, and equal education opportunities for girls from marginalised communities. Australia will support interventions that improve access and the participation of girls (such as making education more affordable), promote leadership opportunities for women and girls in education, and support the collection and use of data and evidence to maximise quality education for marginalised girls.
Australia continues to empower girls in our foreign policy agenda and aid program through appointing an Ambassador for Women and Girls, creating a $55 million Gender Equality Fund, and implementing Australia's Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment strategy which sets an ambitious 80% target for all Australia's aid to effectively promote gender equality. A new AUD10 million gender action platform through the Australian Aid program will provide more opportunities to empower and improve outcomes for women and girls in the Indo-Pacific region.
Read the Statement of Action and Summary of Commitments