THE STATE OF THE WORLD'S CHILDREN 2004 - Unicef

le jeopardy: because of their gender and
because of their poverty.
The alternative: A human rights,
multisectoral model for development
There is an alternative approach to development
that will allow girls their right to education,
meet the commitments of the international
community and maximize the multiplier effects
of investing in girls’ education – a human
rights, multisectoral model.
Human rights
The successful efforts to have the United
Nations adopt such an approach were led by
UNICEF, whose work and mission are based
on two fundamental human rights treaties:
The Convention on the Rights of the Child and
the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms
of Discrimination against Women. Since 1996,
UNICEF has been guided by the principles of
these two treaties, linking the rights of children
with the rights of women in all its programmes
of cooperation.
Within this context, it is understood that children’s
rights cannot be realized nationally or
globally without addressing discrimination in all
its forms, especially the specific situation of girls
and gender-based discrimination. And further,
when the human rights principles of universality,
equality, non-discrimination and participation
are applied in economic approaches to development,
the result is more equitable, democratic
and sustainable growth for all.
gender-sensitive lesson plan or culturally appropriate
textbooks will get them to school.
Solutions must come from outside education’s
standard framework – from an approach that
integrates planning and action across multiple
sectors. For example, interventions in health
and nutrition, although initially designed to
improve a child’s chances of survival and
sound development, will also contribute to
better performance in school. Providing school
meals will improve a child’s nutrition, and also
provide an incentive for youngsters to enter
and stay in school. Logically and inevitably, a
multisectoral approach will yield the greatest
results for girls’ education.
Promise
The Millennium Development Goals have set
a seal on this more rights-based, multifaceted,
human-centred vision of development. As one
of their principal foundations, the Goals link
progress on education, health, poverty relief
and the environment with girls’ right to equality
in schooling. Now this new approach and
these Goals hold promise for the lives of girls
and the fate of nations.
FIGURE 5 DOUBLE JEOPARDY
% of children age 7–18 who have never
been to school of any kind
Multisectoral
Many, some would say most, of the obstacles
that keep girls from enjoying their right to
complete their education are found far from the
school room. In towns without access to water,
in communities sieged by HIV/AIDS, and in families
caught in poverty’s grip, girls are often kept
at home to fetch daily rations, care for siblings
or serve as domestic workers. In the face of
such challenging realities, no new curriculum,
Source: Gordon, D., et al., ‘The Distribution of Child Poverty in the Developing
World: Report to UNICEF’ (final draft), Centre for International Poverty
Research, University of Bristol, Bristol, July 2003.
THE STATE OF THE WORLD’S CHILDREN 2004
27