Despite the critical role they play in key economic and social outcomes, many girls and young women in developing countries face a wealth of challenges.
Because of poverty and outdated social norms, many poor girls are forced to marry at very young ages leaving them vulnerable to HIV, sexual violence, and physical exploitation among other dangers. Lacking a full range of economic opportunities and devalued because of gender bias, many girls are seen as unworthy of investment or protection by their families.
Building on work for the UN Millennium Project Task Force on Education and Gender Equality, and work on global health and demographic change, the Center for Global Development teamed up with the Population Council and the International Center for Research on Women to:
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Summarize evidence about the importance of girls and young women within economic and social development;
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Recommend effective investments that will give adolescent girls in developing countries a full and equal chance for rewarding lives and livelihoods;
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Provide the rationale and policy roadmap necessary to mobilize such support from national governments, donors, private sector and civil society; and,
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Inform the public about ways in which we can all contribute to improving the situation of adolescent girls in poor countries.
The product of this partnership was a report called Girls Count: A Global Investment and Action Agenda report. It describes why and how to provide adolescent girls in developing countries a full and equal chance in life with targeted recommendations for national and local governments, donor agencies, civil society, and the private sector. Girls Count provides a compelling starting point for country-specific agendas to recognize and foster girls' potential. Learn More
Girls Count was a three-year initiative generously co-funded by the Nike Foundation and the UN Foundation’s Better World Fund.
