Next week in New York, United Nations leaders and delegates including Kevin Rudd will meet to assess the progress of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Plan International has been very active in establishing and running programs targeted to the achievement of the Goals in developing countries around the world. However as the world nears the half way point to the deadline for the MDG targets Plan is asking the world the question - are we failing girls?

Plan International works specifically for children. In 2006-7 Plan spent US$463 million on programs to support over 1.5million children and their communities in developing countries. This puts Plan in a good position to report on the progress of the MDGs and participate in discussions towards the achievement of these goals.   

Plan identified that progress on the MDGs is being hampered by a continued lack of investment in girls and young women. Without this investment 6 of the 8 MDGs will not be achieved. From this understanding came Plan’s Because I am a Girl campaign comprising an annual Because I am a Girl - State of the Worlds Girls report. Plan worked with an advisory panel and group of partners – UN agencies, international NGOs, and other organisations to develop the reports, gather data and compile stories. Now each year until 2015 Plan will issue a Because I am a Girl report looking at the progress towards the MDGs and focussing on an issue specifically affecting girls in developing countries.

In 2008 the focus of Because I am a Girl is the impact of war, looking at the experiences and issues faced by girls in countries affected by conflict.  The comprehensive report offers, in addition to a set of recommendations, an eight-point action plan as an agenda for the millions of girls living in the shadow of war. The report, recommendations and stories from girls who will benefit most from a renewed focus, along with in depth background material can be accessed here  www.plan.org.au/ourwork/campaigns/because_i_am_a_girl/2008

6 of the Millennium Development Goals are in jeopardy

The MDGs Plan believes are in jeopardy directly because of a lack of investment in girls are:

Goal 1: Eliminate extreme poverty and hunger
The majority of those living on less than $1 a day are female.

Goal 2: Universal primary education
62 million girls are out of school. Unless gender equity is addressed this goal will not be met.

Goal 3: Promote gender equity and empower women
Over 60% of unpaid family workers are female meaning continued lack of access to job security and social protection. The target is to ensure gender parity in primary and secondary education.

Goal 4: Reduce infant mortality
More girls than boys die before the age of five in many parts of the developing world. An important factor is the preference for boys in many countries particularly two of the most   populous countries India and China. Reductions in the rate of infant mortality are more likely to be found in households where the mother has some education.

Goal 5: Improve maternal health
Complications from pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of death among young women aged 15-19 in the developing world. The younger girls are when they give birth the higher the risk of complications that could lead to death.

Goal 6: Tackle HIV and AIDS, malaria and other diseases
Young women have less knowledge than young men on HIV infection, yet are more at risk of becoming infected in the first place. Reversing the spread of AIDS is dependent on reducing the infection rates of young women and tackling the gendered behaviour which determines their lack of choice in decisions about sex. 

Plan has significant investment in the achievement of the MDGs and has built its programs and policies around the achievement of these goals. Eight years on and half way on the journey Plan is deeply concerned for the world’s girls.

Plan is calling on governments to implement the UN Convention on the Rights of a Child (UNCRC) in providing education, health care and skills training without discrimination based on gender. Implementing this convention in developing countries experiencing conflict could go a long way towards the overall achievement of the MDGs.

Because I am a Girl also stresses the need for the protection of girls' rights, their involvement in decision-making and the post-conflict reconciliation in their countries. Plan’s development programs focus strongly on education and work to ensure girls have equal access to schooling. 

Plan's chief executive in Australia, Ian Wishart says: “These recommendations are made in the hope that organisations and institutions at all levels will no longer ignore girls in their policy and planning. Education of girls is key to breaking the cycle of poverty and conflict and this cannot be ignored. 

"We believe that the recommendations will make a significant difference. It is our duty and responsibility, both as organisations and human beings, to build a better future for the millions of girls living with conflict and its aftermath."

-Ends-

Further Information

To obtain a hard copy of the Because I am a Girl report or to arrange an interview with Ian Wishart, please contact:

Emma Daniell-Edwards, Media Officer, Plan Australia 
0410 693 182