Mr Chairman,

“Education is light. When you don’t know how to read and write, ignorance is like darkness. Please give us light, because we don’t want to stay in darkness.” These are the words of a young girl in a developing country.

For sixty-one years the Netherlands has been sending a woman representative to the General Assembly of the UN. This year I have the honour to address you and I would like to take the opportunity to draw your attention to the future of girls all over the world. We must ensure that girls have a future, and the chance to develop to their full potential in a safe environment. To achieve this we need to intensify our efforts to achieve the second and third Millenium Development Goals. By 2015 – only seven years away – we need to get all girls into school.

Education is a condition for the empowerment of women and the most effective means to acquire gender equality. Empowerment means economic and social independence.

Making sure that all girls enjoy high quality education is good for women, good for society and for a healthy economy. Furthermore, we must create the conditions to ensure equal access to the labour market and equal opportunities on the work floor.

Let me say something about my own country, the Netherlands.

In the Netherlands more than one half of university students are women. Upon graduation women are on average nearly one year younger than men. There are more girls and women graduating. However, there is a gender imbalance in terms of training in technical subjects and women are still heavily underrepresented in technical professions.*

On the labour market women and men still end up in unequal positions. Women are heavily underrepresented in management positions. In the Netherlands, less than ten per cent of senior managers are women. Women account for only four per cent of Boards of Directors. Discrimination or as it is often called ‘the glass ceiling’ is one explanation, difficulties combining work and care is another. This is not just a personal matter; it is a barrier to gender equality. If an economy is to prosper, and to keep prospering, men and women need to work. Women are as important to the world economy as men.

A great deal has to happen before girls all over the world are fully able to develop their talents. Together we need to work on removing the barriers.

Mr Chairman, In this respect I believe the following action points should be given priority:

1. Education should be gender neutral. Boys and girls should get the same opportunities.

2. Teachers are role models for their students and therefore there should be a balance in male and female teaching staff as well as in school management positions.

3. Staff must teach all aspects of gender and sexual and reproductive health and rights because good sex education for both boys and girls is vital for their future relationship, at home as well as at the work place.

4. Parents must be persuaded that their daughters need to finish school. Girls as well must be encouraged to complete their education. This discourages early marriages.

5. School buildings need to provide appropriate sanitary facilities particularly for girls to feel safe and welcome at school.

We need to harness the power and expertise we already have, at all levels. Governments need to make better use of know-how and networks, and of expertise offered by NGOs and UN Funds and Programmes.

As I stated before, making sure that all girls enjoy high quality education is good for women, and good for society. The society must support young people in their journey to independence and prosperity. Governments have to provide the conditions. We must empower them to make good, responsible choices. In every country. Starting today. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

* UN Millennium Development Goals (MDG) 2nd MDG: Achieve universal primary education 3rd MDG: Promote gender equality and empower women

* She figures 2006, Women and Science statistics and indicators www.ec.europa.eu/research/science-society/pdf/she_figures_2006_en.pdf