Antony Guterres: “Very often girls do not have the necessary opportunities to discover their full potential”

The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, issued a statement on the occasion of the World Child’s Child Day:

“Today, 600 million teenage girls are getting ready to enter into a renovated and automated labor market. They are the greatest generation in history and the overwhelming source of ideas and solutions in all aspects of career. However, very often girls are not given the necessary space and opportunities to discover their full potential. Among the many obstacles are systemic discrimination, bias and lack of training.

We need to make joint efforts to overcome obstacles, such as the percentage of women in informatics and communication technology alongside less than 30%, and less than 30% in the world of scientific research and development.

Gender negative stereotypes related to girls’ education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics start from the elementary school years and have a devastating effect, making them feel uneasy about their potential.

Although the number of girls attending school is the highest ever recorded, many do not yet have the skills needed to succeed. Moreover, it is estimated that more than one-third of the capabilities that are important in today’s labor force will change in five years.

We need to supply girls with arms and transferable skills, such as judgmental thinking, creativity and awareness of the digital field. Having such women will also be critical, especially in the areas of science and other areas where women’s involvement is low.

To help youth’s capacity-building, I recently launched the “Youth 2030″ agenda, with a focus on working with young people to hear their needs and to support their ideas.

On the World Day of a Girl child, let’s dedicate ourselves to helping each girl child to develop their skills, to enter the labor market on equal terms, and to discover their full potential. ”

Full text in Armenian