World Population Day

World Population Day on 11 July 2009 focuses on investing in girls and women.

Transcript

The 11th of July is World Population Day. This year the theme is investing in girls and women, and the slogan is Fight Poverty: Educate Girls. The global economic crisis is becoming especially acute in developing countries. Those who suffer the most in such hard times are women and children. One of best ways to fight poverty and improve health is to educate girls.

In his Message on World Population Day, Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, says:

In the midst of the worst global economic crisis in generations, we must find the most effective ways to continue progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals. There is no better path than the focus of this year's World Population Day: investing in women and girls.

This year my university held Open Campus on World Population Day. This all-day recruiting fair gives high school girls a chance to see the university, learn about our academic programs, and talk with some of our students.

I spent the afternoon at an information desk for my academic department. Two of our fourth-year students were there, and it was a great pleasure to work with them. I could clearly see profound differences between 17-year-old high school seniors and 21-year-old university seniors. Of course, natural growth in four years plays a big role, but the knowledge and poise of a well-educated college student is really impressive.

I've been teaching at a women's university for nearly 32 years, so I'm obviously a strong supporter of education for girls and women. This year's World Population Day theme, investing in girls and women, is vitally important, and I think we should expand it to include higher education and opportunities for productive employment.

Although college is not for everyone, we must give girls and women the best education we can. Over the years I've seen hundreds of young women transformed into productive and confident members of society, and many of them have become leaders. I'm confident that we can make the world a much better place by educating girls and women and by giving them good opportunities to contribute to society.