Access to Education for Women and Girls

Topic:
Country: China
Delegate Name: Emily Elkantar

I as China believe we are neutral on this subject we are equally accessible for rights with men and woman but could be for the subject. Around the world 129 million girls are out of school, including 32 million of primary school age, 30 million of lower-secondary school age, and 67 million of upper-secondary school age.

Only 49% of countries have achieved gender parity in primary education. At the secondary level, the disparity is even wider: 42% of countries have achieved gender parity in lower-secondary education, and only 24% in upper-secondary education. Documented effects of improving access to education for women and girls include: increased lifetime earnings, higher national growth rates, declines in child marriage rates, decreased child and maternal mortality rates, and decreased child stunting. But even with these there are still obstacles that have to be faced to access education for these women and girls. Poverty, gender-based violence, and societal gender stereotypes are just a few such obstacles. Even when women and girls do have access to education facilities, many schools are unsafe. Others may use gender-biased teaching practices that result in gender gaps in learning and skills development, or that negatively influence women and girls’ decision to stay in school.

On the other hand it really isn’t worth it for the girls to get an education if they are just gonna be bullied out of it. They are never gonna fit in and are going to have to accept it if they want to get a better education but they can’t get mad at the change in behavior between the opposite gender.

We China can either be for or against a better education for women and girls. I am for both sides either can be signed off on but depends on the benefits and the profit I make out of it .

Country: Israel
Delegate Name: Jane Barnett

The State of Israel
UN Women
Access to Education for Women and Girls

Improving access to education for women and girls needs is a pressing issue. According to UNESCO, 246 million children are subjected to gender-based violence in and around schools every year. Additionally, Two-thirds of the 750 million illiterate adults are women, a proportion
unchanged since 1976, the earliest date available for the world total. These startling statistics, combined with the added challenges for female refugees, low income women, and other disadvantaged groups prove how much action is needed toward’s improving access to education. Child marriage, human trafficking, gender based violence, and more all contribute to this issue. The UN has declared education a fundamental human right, so working to establish equal access for all is paramount.

Israel is the 5th most educated country in the world, with women making up 57% of higher education students. Israel has a strong education system, with both religious and secular public school opportunities. Additionally, child marriage is illegal, and Israel has the Ministry national ministerial-inter an led) MOLSA, that works to reduce domestic violence. Israel recognizes the importance of women’s education, and hopes to work to craft a solution that continues these ideals on a worldwide scale.

Some of these solutions include significant increases in monitoring and discouraging child marriage and trafficking, as well as working to make schools safer, and more sanitary places. The nation of Israel also wishes to emphasize the importance of freedom of religion within girls and women’s education. Israel provides both religious and secular school systems, and hopes to implement solutions that can respect the religious and cultural traditions of the many nations in this committee. Making women and girl’s education more accessible is key to improving conditions of women around the world in general. As such, Israel is excited to work towards international cooperation, and work towards bettering access to education for women and girls.

Country: Indonesia
Delegate Name: Jasmine Mand

United Nations Women
Access to Education for Women and Girls
The Republic of Indonesia
Jasmine Mand
Forest Hills Eastern High School

Across the world, there are many girls and women that lack education. About 129 million girls are out of school. In countries with conflict and crisis, women are twice as likely to not go to school and do household chores instead. Women in these countries face poverty, gender-based violence, and gender stereotypes. If women are allowed to go to school, schools may be unsafe as they could have gender-biased teaching methods, which goes against human rights. Girls who receive an education are less likely to go through child marriage, earn a higher income, lead healthy lives, and decrease child stunting. With everyone receiving an education, inequality will decrease. The United Nations (UN) has made equal education for women and girls a part of its development goals.

In Indonesia, education for women and girls is a major issue. Indonesia has gender-biased textbooks and gender stereotypes. However, Indonesia has improved access to education for girls by making policies for a more gender-equitable society. In 2019, Indonesia received more gender parity in education with a GPI of 1.00 in school enrollment. Indonesia launched the National Action Plan (NAP) to provide women empowerment, which protects women and children from conflicts and bigger influences. Indonesia also partnered up with the World Bank to create a project for education. As a result, the girls of Indonesia won the UNESCO prize. This focused on giving women more opportunities and confidence to achieve their goals. Also, Indonesia has implemented laws to decrease inequality for women. The government of Indonesia supports women’s recognition. Additionally, they signed all the conventions to eliminate discrimination against women in 1984.

Indonesia still needs to take greater action in this situation. Girls with child marriages receive no education. Indonesia encourages UN Women to focus on equal rights for women to be able to have a complete education. Indonesia recommends increasing participation and leadership for women. The participation of women leads to gender equality and diverse opinions. Countries willing to support should provide funds to not violate women’s and girls’ rights.

Country: United States of America
Delegate Name: Natalie Mouw

UN Women
Access to education for women and girls
United States of America
Natalie Mouw
Forest Hills Eastern

Access to education for women across the globe must be improved. 129 million girls are out of school, spanning across age groups of primary, secondary, and post-secondary schooling. Historically, girls and young women have been discriminated against in education, and this discrimination pervades numerous societies to this day. Stereotypes considering girls unfit for education remain in many communities, and even in areas where girls are permitted to go to school, they often report feeling unsafe. Moreover, educational curriculum is typically male-focused, with such patriarchal standards resulting in employment and pay gaps for women entering the workforce. Additionally, in areas of conflict or war, girls are more likely to be the ones who miss out on an opportunity for education and are expected to stay home and care for younger siblings and the household. The education of girls is the strongest investment for the world. It enables women to contribute to their communities through economic opportunities and earned wages, and it decreases unwanted pregnancies, maternal deaths, and child marriages. The benefits of girls’ education range from healthier families to reinforced economies.

Aware of the importance of equal educational opportunities for women, the United States plans to utilize its experience with increasing women’s rights in its own borders to assist the efforts of the United Nations across developing countries. In 1972, the United States passed Title IX of the Education Amendments act to prevent discrimination in education on the basis of sex. In 1974, the Women’s Educational Equity Act was passed. Women’s education has improved in the United States substantially – where women have come from complete exclusion from college education to now surpassing men in undergraduate enrollment. Equality in education has been an important step towards overall equality for women and men in the United States.

The United States plans to work with other countries to remove systemic barriers holding women back in education and subsequently in the workforce. Largely, this issue finds its prevalence in developing countries. The US is ready to work with other countries to improve education for women and girls across the globe and increase the accessibility of schooling for girls in developing countries. Firstly, the US recommends that each country pass laws modeled after the US’s Title IX. Following the creation of these laws, administrative enforcement agencies should be developed. It would be their responsibility to enforce these laws – sanctioning schools that discriminate against women. Lastly, the US is willing to work with the UN to gather funding for all-girl schools in developing countries and provide scholarships for more girls to have access to primary, secondary, and post-secondary schooling.

Country: Poland
Delegate Name: Jonah Mechtenberg-Berrigan

At the moment, hundreds of millions of girls are being denied education due to gender. This creates many other problems like unfair earnings, higher child marriage rates, and increased maternal mortality rates. Poland has a higher domestic violence rate against women than some other countries, but the education rates for women and men are about equal. There are laws set in place in Poland to prevent unfair education. Poland supports women’s education.
Poland has received funds from the EEA to support equal education. Over the last 20 years, they have gone from one of the least equal European countries in schools to very equal education rates. Equal access to lower and mid-level education is supported throughout much of the Polish government, including the Polish Constitution, the Labour Code, and Labour Market Institutions. However, there are no laws involving women’s access to higher education. Poland has not contributed any funds involving education equality in the past, and has been accepting funds from the EEA for unfair gender education, although there are no visible inequalities in their education rates.
Poland believes that more countries should put gender equality laws in place. They are willing to offer up funds in different areas as a convincing measure, and encourage other developed countries to do the same. Poland will negotiate with countries without unfair gender equality, but will likely align itself with other developed, equal countries with similar beliefs such as Norway, Hungary, and France.

Country: Denmark
Delegate Name: Giselle Wong

United Nations Women
Access to Education for Women and Girls
Denmark
Giselle Wong, Forest Hills Northern High School

There are around 129 million girls out of school, there are also many women above school age that never got an education. Denmark is aware that not all countries have the resources to provide education for the children in their countries but that doesn’t mean girls don’t deserve the equal education provided to boys. In many regions that have a high number of families unable to send their kids to school, if those families can even just send one child, the majority of the time they favor the boy. Denmark has made an extreme effort to make sure there are equal opportunities for women and girls when it comes to education. We not only strive to get girls into school but also make sure that they feel safe in their classrooms, and make them feel supported and comfortable in pursuing their careers of choice even if it is a male-dominated field.
Equal opportunity and women’s rights are basic principles of Denmark’s politics. We very strongly believe that all women and girls deserve equal rights and opportunities that males have. Education in general is something we take seriously, by 3 years-old 98% of children are enrolled in public kindergartens. Denmark gives access to free primary school education for everyone, with no gender discrimination. To ensure everyone’s education is equal and teaches them all the necessary skills, we have implemented curriculum requirements for all public, private and religious schools. We aim to eliminate all forms of gender discrimination in education which will help get more girls in classrooms because having women get good educations not only helps the individuals but the country as a whole. When girls get a full primary school education they are more likely to not marry young, get better jobs, have higher incomes, and better their lives in general.
In 1814 there was a law passed in Denmark declaring that there would be universal education in Denmark. In the following centuries, more laws and acts were passed giving women more and more rights and opportunities. Denmark understands that there are still many factors in the world that systematically are against women and we will put in an effort to correct those in our society to ensure women and girls truly do have equal education opportunities. With this Denmark strongly encourages all nations to implement laws making the school accessible to all women and girls who wish to get an education and to push for the elimination of gender discrimination against women.

Country: Egypt
Delegate Name: Rishika Kokkula

UN Women
Access to education for women and girls
The Arab Republic of Egypt
Rishika Kokkula
Forest Hills Eastern High School

Access to education is a pressing issue that requires attention from the United Nations and the collaboration of many different countries. It is estimated that 129 million girls are out of school globally. Although developed and wealthy countries have access to proper education for all children, in reality, less than 50 percent of countries have achieved gender equality in education at all levels. In the past, the United Nations has made equal access to education a part of its 2015 development goals. Still, access to equal educational opportunities for women and girls is an issue that needs to be addressed by the UN.

Egypt recognizes the importance of gaining access to education for women and girls. We have partnered with USAID to reduce gender inequalities, empower women and girls, and help promise a future for women and girls in the country. Even with the assistance of USAID, Egypt still has a long way to go in gender equality and women’s rights. Only 18% of working-age women are participating in the economy, as opposed to 65% of men. Egypt has accepted and appreciated help from USAID in improving access to education, but still urges that the United Nations continue to work to resolve the threats to access to education for women and girls and ensure safe schools that can provide equal opportunities for women and girls all over the world.

Egypt encourages the United Nations to focus on aiding developing countries to have access to educational facilities. Egypt recognizes that poorer countries may not have the financial resources to even put women and girls in school and we urge that organizations such as USAID work to support these countries in expanding educational opportunities. Egypt also supports resolutions that will raise awareness of discriminatory practices and gender norms that are a hurdle to the development of equal access to education for women and girls. Egypt believes that assisting third-world countries with their financial needs and facilitating their access to education is crucial to putting more women and girls in school and expanding education for a better future.

Country: United Kingdom
Delegate Name: Tristan Gerville-Reache

It is common knowledge among all that education is important. Unfortunately, education is not always accessible to all people in different countries and parts of the world. The United Kingdom is aware that the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has estimated that globally, around 129 million women and girls are out of school. In response to this staggering statistic, the United Kingdom placed many frameworks to solve this dilemma. We now allow all of our present-day population to be able to pursue some form of education. We recognize that only 49% of countries have achieved gender parity in access to education. The United Kingdom motions to achieve gender parity in a greater number of countries, creating opportunities and chances for women and girls to be educated.
In 1868, the United Kingdom’s first women attended school, although they were not given degrees. In 1975, the European Union (EU), which the United Kingdom joined in 1972, had the Sex Discrimination Act come into force. According to Oxford Royale Academy, the Sex Discrimination Act “banned discrimination on the basis of sex or marital status in the areas of employment, education, training, harassment, housing and the provision of goods and services”.
The United Kingdom recognizes UNICEF’s efforts to support girls’ education. This includes diminishing discriminatory gender norms and harmful practices that deny girls access to education, supporting governments to ensure budgets are gender-friendly, and helping governments eliminate gender gaps in learning. The United Kingdom promotes the formation of gender-friendly government budgets for education. By ensuring budgets are set, funding for access to education for women and girls will increase greatly. We also promote the diminishing of discriminatory gender norms and harmful practices. In response to harmful practices, we provide protection for all of our citizens, and strongly encourage inclusive activity nationally.
The United Kingdom acknowledges that our methods are not applicable to all countries; policies and laws differ between nations. However, we encourage motion toward efforts to support girls’ education. The movement towards promoting the formation of gender-friendly government budgets, diminishing discrimination on the basis of sex or marital status, and protecting all citizens’ education is greatly encouraged by the United Kingdom.

Country: France
Delegate Name: Audrey Krajewski

UN Women
Education for Women and Girls
France
Audrey Krajewski

Education is the foundation for a successful, happy, and healthy life. France believes women worldwide deserve the right to education, and supports the United Nations claims behind educating women providing benefits such as child marriage rates declining, child mortality rates falling, maternal moraility rates falling, lifetime earnings of girls increasing, etc. France has had a complex history with educating its own women, but has since found a very successful way out. France hopes to share its knowledge with countries hoping to overcome education injustice.
France didn’t start educating women until the 1870s. Shockingly recent. When France first began educating women, they educated women in a separate school from men. Women had the opportunity to learn reading and writing skills, in addition to basic arithmetic. Men however, had the opportunity to learn history, science, music, and everything women learned. The original purpose of educating women was so they could become better mothers and “help their boys work on assignments”. Additionally, there was hardly any opportunity for women to gain education beyond the elementary/middle schooling they went through to learn those basic skills. The first female university student attended in 1892, and the first female professor at a French university didn’t gain her job until 1930. Since then however, France has achieved education equality. Women now fill 54% of college classes (as opposed to men filling 46%) , and 92% of women in France have a high school diploma, compared to 82.3% of their male equivalents. Women make up 25% of STEM fields, with the percentage growing annually. Women are proud to be educated, and contribute to the 99.7% literacy rate in France, and France’s rank in the top 16.5% of smartest countries worldwide.
France credits their education system for this mass success. In France, 50% of children begin their kindergarten level education at age 2, and all children by age 3. French children can choose the public or private school route, with private schools often being for religious intents only. In France, citizens pay high taxes and expect high benefits and results. The French public school system is generally inflexible, and provides an intensive 900 hours worth of education to its students annually. The French government mandates a curriculum that all schools in France must follow as closely as possible. As a result, students in the north of France, the south, Paris, are all learning the same material and benefiting from everyone’s taxes. At the end of the French equivalent of high school (collége), all students must take the baccalaureate (BAC) exam. The exam is scored out of 20, with a 10 being a passing score and a 14+ being considered good. Students study tirelessly for the exam, however roughly 30% do not pass every year and must take their senior year again. For the students who do pass, they are able to attend university! France has roughly 100 public and private universities. All of the public universities are subsidised by the government, and students from France, Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway all pay extremely low tuition costs. Examples of this tuition cost are: 170 euros per year for Bachelor’s (Licence) programmes, 243 euros per year for Master’s programmes, and 380 euros per year for Doctorate (PhD) programmes.
France has seen how important having educated women is for the success of individuals, and the success of nations. France is eager to work with countries who have resources to help those who don’t. France knows that some of its neighbours (Germany, Norway, Sweden, The Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, etc) have had similar histories to France. France is interested in helping all women, regardless of their socioeconomic status, race, background, and culture, achieve a happy life through education. France is willing to do as much as we can to educate every woman, as education is a fundamental human right.

Country: Kenya
Delegate Name: Madelyn Sheridan

(11/20/22)
SUBMITTED TO:(UN Women)
FROM:(Kenya)
SUBJECT:(Access to Education for Women and Girls)

In Kenya only 76 out of every 100 girls finish their primary education compared to 87 out of every 100 boys who complete their primary education. For every 100 high school students in Kenya only 34 of them were women. Women are disadvantaged for the rest of their lives because women in Kenya are less educated than men, this makes it harder for them to get jobs and be self-sustainable. Kenya is very determined to decrease the gender gap in education and improve itself by educating women. Providing women with an education can help reduce poverty rates, help develop the country, improve child mortality and maternal health and reduce domestic violence rates. Providing women with a proper education is the single most important thing that can be done to guarantee the future of the world. Covid-19 prevented lots of people from getting the education that they deserve and that has caused detrimental harm to children’s future. Women were already uneducated and therefore had a harder time getting a job as an adult, then add on the effects of the Covid 19 pandemic and its disruption of education and now educating women is an even more pressing issue than it was before. Kenya is currently trying to improve women’s education with the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), the goals of Education For All (EFA) and Kenya Vision 2030. The Millennium Development Goals focus on getting women the education they deserve and what women’s education can do for a country and the world. Kenya would like to complete the MDG goals and provide women with a better life. How can countries ensure that women stay in school and get the education they deserve? What laws would help increase the amount of educated women? Kenya thinks a good resolution should include funding to improve schools and provide families with money so they can afford to send their daughters to school. Another thing that should be included in a resolution is a campaign to inform people of the benefits of women being educated. Sustainable development goal (SDG) 4 from the UN is focused on ensuring that everyone has completed primary and secondary school, ensuring that all youth can read and write and eliminating the gender gap in education. They want to achieve all these goals by 2030. Including these goals as well as ways these goals can be achieved and then improving upon them would be an important thing to discuss and include in a resolution. These goals are all things that Kenya wants to achieve as well, because it is in the best interest of the entire world for women to be educated. Educating women will propel the world into the future and is one of the easiest and most cost efficient ways to solve world issues. Kenya looks forward to figuring out how to provide women in our country and all other countries around the world with the education they deserve to ensure the future of the world is equal, sustainable and safe for everyone.

Country: Colombia
Delegate Name: Alex Vogel

Delegate: Alex Vogel
Country: Colombia
Committee: UN Women
Topic: Access to Education for Woman and Girls
Historically and in ongoing conflict across the world, woman and girls have been denied education, whether that education has been outright forbidden or made impossible, or made difficult or dangerous. While it remains a current issue, this is unacceptable. Initiatives to equal the representation and power in leadership positions have become increasingly outspoken in recent years- 50-50 by 2030, for example, a foundation apart of the University of Canberra in Australia. These initiatives focus on women in power, and are gaining traction because they are working together, presenting a united front. Colombia believes the best course of action in this instance is to work towards uniting and strengthening existing foundations and initiatives, rather than trying to create new ones. The framework is there, and strengthening that existing will provide a strong foundation for any further endeavors towards the equalizing of access to education for women and girls.
Colombia has progressed towards its goal of achieving a system of laws and public policies aimed at ensuring women’s rights and opportunities even as the country itself has been in turmoil. In fifty years of conflict, Colombia has become a hotbed for humanitarian aid, and while the country has somewhat stabilized in recent years, it will take quite a while for the country as a whole to return to a state of stability and safety. Even with this somewhat unstable footing, Colombia is endeavoring to make progress on many fronts, restrengthening the country and committing to the existing organization and strength of the nation, Since the adoption of the national roadmap towards gender equality in 2013, a national mechanism of coordination across sectors has been created to implement the roadmap.
In this endeavor to unify and strengthen the foundations and initiatives focused on closing the gap in education equality, Colombia is interested in participating in, partnering with, nurturing plans, and putting in the work to resolve this issue. Colombia does not wish to interfere with the sovereignty of any nation, and would be opposed to any plan which deprives any country of their right to assist, monitor, and nurture their own people. Colombia also urges countries that have made steps towards research, organization, and protective legislation to take initiative and offer insight into the steps that could be taken to make this path the smoothest and longest-lasting possible.

Country: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Delegate Name: Jennasee Hollingworth

Due to challenges such as poverty, poor infrastructure, gender inequality, and violence, 129 million girls are currently experiencing a lack of education worldwide. In nations impacted by fragility, conflict, and/or violence, girls are over twice as likely to be out of school than their male counterparts. This makes it very difficult for women to get jobs, which not only impacts their living situation but also the economy.
In recent years, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has seen an improvement in our access to primary education. However, about 50% of girls 5-17 years of age in DRC still lack education. The gender role of women in DRC is that they are responsible for maintaining agriculture in order to feed their families, as well as taking care of the household and children. This is often done in small villages, which may limit access to education further. In many parts of DRC, communities are based on men having jobs and women handling all domestic work, which includes but is not limited to fetching water, food preparation, and gathering materials such as firewood. Fortunately, UKAid and UNICEF are currently implementing a pilot project to improve the accessibility to quality education for girls.
While giving women the opportunity to be educated is important, women and girls who spend their time maintaining their household should also be respected. Also, with the violence going on in this nation, the safety of women should be focused on more so than their education during this time. In order to solve this issue, DRC would appreciate continued support from France and the United States. Education for women and girls is a significant issue that deserves attention, but prioritizing it over solving the Democratic Republic of Congo’s urgent crises would most likely worsen the issue more than help it.

Country: Russian Federation
Delegate Name: Abby Grocki

Access to education for women and girls is a growing conflict around the world. Not only will resolving this issue be of benefit for the state of equality, but also economies worldwide. As there are 129 million girls without access to any of the three stages of education, gender gaps relating skills and perpetuating pay lead to economic structure failure without the roles of women in society. This can be detrimental to many nations especially keeping in mind those in any conflicting state. The UN has made progress in providing girls the three stages of education pertaining to each nation by including the topic in the sustainable development goals as a start.

While the Russian education system is fairly equal considering 37% of women have a higher education compared to men with only 29% having a higher education. Now while this is a step closer to equality, women still face gender biases, discrimination, and smaller salaries that are only 73% of a mans average salary in Russia. Keeping in mind the education system in Russia is coordinated by the government, tuition and fees and waiting lists can vary depending on the student. The primary, basic general, and secondary levels of education are all extremely competitive, and can be difficult for some to get in.

Russia does not wish to interfere with the national sovereignty of any other nation through the resolution process of access to education. But to look deeper into the content of what type of education the UN could be providing would be a great way to inform women and girls about health, financial aid, and any other subject that can provide them with a career. In order to change this, this committee will have to be able to take a closer look at curriculum for their nation concerning womens and girls accessibility. Also, Russia is looking forward to working with China, India, North Korea, and the U.S. to create the most beneficial and accessible education for women as possible.

Country: Turkey
Delegate Name: Vivienne Grzelak

In Turkey, women’s and girls’ education is becoming a top priority. Female literacy has risen to 93.56% in the country. Unfortunately, 45% of girls under 15 are illiterate today. Even more unfortunate, two-thirds of adults are without basic literacy skills on the eastern side of the country. One big reason these women and girls have such big literacy problems is that there are such high poverty levels and adolescent pregnancy. Even now in 2022, only 18% of women ages 25-64 will have any higher education.

The main reasons why girls have such low education rates in Turkey are that girls are not given the time to keep up with their education. Child marriage is quite common. The reason child marriage is so common is to help minimize the economic burden on the daughter’s family. 15% of girls in Turkey are subjected to child marriage. This has gone down from the 20% of child marriages in 2016.

Although Turkey is improving in strides, with 45% of the population’s girls now going to school and getting a basic education, this could still be improved though. With the help of richer countries like the United Kingdom and Germany, we could help reduce the rate of poverty in Turkey. If you reduce the poverty rate, more girls would have the opportunity to go to school, as they would not be working to provide for their families or getting married off for financial benefit. These girls are not really given an opportunity for their education and if more financial stability for eastern turkey were available it would change these girls’ lives.

Country: Russian Federation
Delegate Name: Abby Grocki

Access to education for women and girls is a growing conflict around the world. Not only will resolving this issue be of benefit for the state of equality, but also economies worldwide. As there are 129 million girls without access to any of the three stages of education, gender gaps relating skills and perpetuating pay lead to economic structure failure without the roles of women in society. This can be detrimental to many nations especially keeping in mind those in any conflicting state. The UN has made progress in providing girls the three stages of education pertaining to each nation by including the topic in the sustainable development goals as a start.

While the Russian education system is fairly equal considering 37% of women have a higher education compared to men with only 29% having a higher education. Now while this is a step closer to equality, women still face gender biases, discrimination, and smaller salaries that are only 73% of a mans average salary in Russia. Keeping in mind the education system in Russia is coordinated by the government, tuition and fees and waiting lists can vary depending on the student. The primary, basic general, and secondary levels of education are all extremely competitive, and can be difficult for some to get in.

Russia does not wish to interfere with the national sovereignty of any other nation through the resolution process of access to education. But to look deeper into the content of what type of education the UN could be providing would be a great way to inform women and girls about health, financial aid, and any other subject that can provide them with a career. In order to change this, this committee will have to be able to take a closer look at curriculum for their nation concerning womens and girls accessibility. Also, Russia is looking forward to working with China, India, North Korea, and the U.S. to create the most beneficial and accessible education for women as possible.

Country: Philippines
Delegate Name: Annabelle Dyck

The inequality of education between genders has been an issue for centuries. Women have been seen as the inferior gender, but changing times have brought attention to this issue. Women tend to attain less education and hold lower career statuses when compared to men. The United Nations has taken action to stop this from happening. Dating back to 1840, UN Women started the revolution to equal women and men.
Before the Philippines was colonized by the Spaniards, women held a high position in the region. Men and women were educated and had equal rights. When Spanish missionaries entered, women were disrespected and lost their freedoms. The education system started to treat girls differently than boys, and a minimal amount of education was given to them. Later, American colonizers took over and more changes came to the education system. Women were given practical education to allow them to provide for their families. Although this was a step in the right direction there was still discrimination between genders. Women learned how to sew, cook, and clean while men studied math, science, labor, etc. As time went on, organizations were created to educate women. The improvements started to implement positive results. In the 1990s women began to show greater levels of education than men in the Philippines.
The Philippines would like to continue to support women’s education as they have already. They think their organizations and participation have created good results. They have abolished sex discrimination in the workplace and in educational settings. There is always room for improvement, but the Philippines is a great place to live as a woman. They would like to work together with other Eastern Asian countries because of their close proximity to each other. The Philippines would also look highly upon an alliance with the United States of America and the United Kingdom.

Country: Guatemala
Delegate Name: Ananya Arulmurugan

Women Committee
Right to Education
Guatemala
Ananya Arulmurugan
Forest Hills Eastern High School

The UN’s SDG 4 addresses the topic of a woman’s right to education seriously, and ensures inclusive and equitable quality education for all by 2030. By accepting human’s rights laws, most of the world’s countries have affirmed women’s rights to education. Article 10 of CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination Against Women), is a provision on women and girl’s rights to education. It aims not only to help women gain access to education, but to also improve the quality of education that they are getting. Article 14 of this same treaty declares the rights of rural women in education. Investing in girl’s education provides many positive effects, including rising national growth rates, lower child mortality rates, lower maternal mortality rates, and drops in child stunting.
Many women in Guatemala stop their studies due to pregnancy. To increase women, especially indigenous women in Guatemala, UNESCO opened two Malala centers. It provides girls and women from the community the support to access the education that they need. Despite public education being provided for free, many Guatemalan women still do not attend school. About 20% of the population is illiterate, and 60% of the indigenous population. Over 2,000,000 children do not attend school in Guatemala, the majority being indigenous girls.
Guatemala desires a campaign to inform more women about their opportunities for education, as this is a big problem. It would also like to reeducate teachers and administration to lessen bias towards girls and other communities that could be likely to be discriminated against.
Women also need better Maternal health care and education on these topics since this is a leading cause of the lack of education.

Country: Nigeria
Delegate Name: Katherine Petersburg

Delegate: Kate Petersburg
Country: Nigeria
Committee: UN Women
Topic: Access to Education for Women and Girls

Around the world, there are 129 million girls and young women who are out of school. This includes 32 million who would be in primary school and 97 million who would be in secondary school. Although the enrolment rates are getting closer between boys and girls there is still a long way to go. Currently, around the world, the enrolment rate for men is 90% and for women, 89% which means the effort we’re putting in isn’t going to waste but in poor countries, the rates are still unacceptably low. In countries higher affected by fragility, conflict, and violence (FCV) girls are 2.5 times more likely to be out of school than boys, and in secondary school, they are 90% more likely to be out of school than those who reside in non-FCV areas. This is a big problem especially facing girls because of the violence that can happen on the way to school. Recent data tells us that about 60 million girls are sexually assaulted on their way to school every year. There are also simply stereotypes that can really affect a girl’s way of thinking. Within some schools, they implant stereotypes into people’s minds that girls can’t do the same things men can and that some jobs can only be done by boys. These stereotypes are especially affecting young girls trying to enter a STEM-focused job.
In Nigeria, in 2018 the literacy rate of females aged 15 years and older was only 52.65% which is a whole 18.6% below the literacy rate of males even though primary school is officially free. Children between the ages of 5-14 years are not in school and are affecting way more girls than boys. In 2019 the poverty rate was 40% of the population. This means that much of the population is unable to send their child to school whether that be because they need them to work or simply can’t. Nigeria has had previous projects to help improve the rates of girls who can go to school such as the Girls’ Education Project. This project initially began in 2004 and the focus of this project was on supporting the Nigerian government and its efforts in achieving universal basic and primary education. A specific section of the project was the Girls’ Education Project 3 Cash Transfer Programme. This was implemented from 2014-2016 to improve girls education in Nigeria. This program lessened the impact that poverty had on girls’ enrollment in school.
UNICEF has placed a program in action that aims to give all children access to a safe learning environment and a quality education. This goal will, of course, take a long time but they plan to achieve their goal by 2030 and their main goal is to help the government achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The key focuses are to get children to be able to access “learning and skills for emergencies and fragile contexts”. This means to provide “gender equitable access to quality education from a young age, quality learning outcomes, and skills development and improved learning and protection for children in emergencies and on the move.” In fact just In 2021, 60 million children gained access to primary or secondary education. There is also a girls’ education program that’s main focus is on gender equality in education that UNICEF has also established. The main points of this program is to give girls access to a safe education, to inequality is reduced, and just to allow girls to reach their true and full potential. Countries that would work well with Nigeria are Ghana, Benin, Niger, Chad, Cameroon, and Equatorial Guinea.

Country: Germany
Delegate Name: Delaney Parkin

Women for a very long time have been behind in terms of education, due to the slow development of women’s rights. While the world is definitely improving in terms of education, there is still a long way to go. Currently, there are 129 million girls in the world that are not in school. 129 girls around the school are not able to receive an education to pursue careers or make a stance in society. To go along with this, only 24% of countries in the world have achieved gender parity in upper-secondary education. The lack of women in education is due to stereotypes around women, gender based violence, and poverty, as well as other problems. While education is improving in many first-world countries, most women in low-income countries are hit the hardest with improper education. Many women in low income countries either don’t have access to quality education, or don’t have the ability to pay for quality education. There are many positive effects of increasing women’s education, such as a decrease in child marriages, an increase in earnings, and an increase in national growth rates. Access to education for women and girls is included in the UN 2015 Sustainable Development Goal. The UN Women SDG 4 Targets by 2030 include Ensuring all genders complete free, equitable, and quality primary and secondary education, eliminate gender disparities in education, and ensure everyone is literate, as well as many other goals relating to the subject.

Germany is known to have a very excellent education system, one of the top systems in the world. 99% of females, as well as the German population, are literate. Germany has instituted laws surrounding education, including the Basic Law, which states the government’s role in the education system, as well as enforcing compulsory education. This means that all German citizens/children are required to attend primary and secondary education. In Germany, the public education for primary and secondary education are both free, making education accessible to all. The female school life expectancy in Germany is 16 years, and the countries over school life expectancy for all genders is 17 years. To go with this, a large percentage of German women have the same, or higher education and qualifications as men. The country also passed a law of January 1, 2016 that required at least 30% of supervisor board positions to be filled by women in around 100 large companies. This gives schools and women an incentive to receive quality education for women, so they can fill and excel in the board positions.

In the future, Germany plans to continue the path it is on, as its education for all genders is very good, as well as continue to improve their education system, and access to and equity in education for women and girls. Germany also plans to provide information and guidance to other countries, especially those in need, to help improve education for women and girls around the world. Education is very important to Germany, and they believe it is important to women around the world to be properly educated. Germany will also continue to enforce the current laws it has on education, and continue to create new laws that help to improve the quality of education for all genders, especially women and girls in Germany. Germany will also most likely work with other countries that have good education systems, and equitable education for women and girls, such as Norway, Switzerland, the United States, France, Canada and Denmark.

Country: South Africa
Delegate Name: Shriya Reddy

United Nations Women
Access to Education for Women and Girls
The Republic of South Africa
Shriya Reddy
Forest Hills Eastern

129 million girls are out of school, around the world, including 32 million of primary school age, 30 million of lower-secondary school age, and 67 million of upper-secondary school age. There are many obstacles to accessing education for women and girls. Poverty, gender-based violence, and societal gender stereotypes are just a few such obstacles.

South Africa’s gender inequality in education drives a deep division between access to education and its outcomes. Recent efforts by the South African government have proven effective in encouraging female participation and continuation of schooling. However, the problems in South Africa, like in the United States, are complex and deeply intertwined with societal issues dating back centuries. In South Africa, 55 percent of the uneducated adult population are women, suggesting a fairly equal education system in terms of numbers. However, equality in numbers does not indicate equality in education. The gap in equality of outcome is partially accounted for through factors such as teen pregnancy and sexual violence. Another vestige of apartheid, violence, is often used to exert control and in many cases, sexual violence exerts male control over females. This high incidence of reported sexual violence is disproportionately prevalent in schools. The research found that “schools and their surrounding environments may attract crime and place individuals at an increased risk of sexual victimization, at least in a South African context”. Sexual violence represents a “discriminatory barrier for young women and girls seeking an education”. Furthermore, teen pregnancy poses a significant barrier to women’s education. In South Africa, among female youth (ages 10-19) “19.2% said that they had an adolescent pregnancy”. At this age, pregnancy directly interferes with young women’s education creating a ripple effect on future job opportunities and other career choices. This is due to “insufficient support (physically and emotionally)” causing many young mothers to “quit school or do not succeed with schooling”.

These factors also contribute to poor performance, and worse job outcomes, and can create additional reasons for dropping out. All countries must work together to stop discriminatory gender norms and human rights violations. The cost of education should be reduced because several African countries have abolished their school fees. Each time, the move has triggered a large increase in primary school enrollment. For example, enrollment increased by 12 percent in Ghana, 18 percent in Kenya, 23 percent in Ethiopia, and 51 percent in Malawi after the abolition of school fees. Countries should address local governments’ and communities’ need for financial investment in education.

Country: Canada
Delegate Name: Kate Risley

Canada’s public school system has provided access to education for girls since the late 1800s. The Canadian Human Rights act of 1977 ensures that all Canadians recieving services from the federal government of Canada, such as public schooling, are protected from discrimination, including discrimination on the basis of gender. In 1982, Canada passed the “Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms” which ensured full protection under the law for all citizens regardless of gender. Canada recognizes that despite it’s gaurentee of education to all citizens regardless of gender identity, some nations do not gaurentee the same educational opportunities and lack of discrimination in schools to women and girls. The delegation of Canada would like to find a way to increase access to education and minimize discrimination on the basis of gender within schools.
In 2018, Canada’s Charlevoix Declaration committed 400 million dollars to improving access to education of women and girls in developing countries, this included initiatives to partner with various organizations to address barriers to both womens access to education and retention to schooling. One of these initiatives was to provide girls in countries with limited educational opportunities with radios that would teach the girls from home. This 400 million, along with contributions from the G7 partners and the World Bank totaled to 3.8 billion dollars going towards sending impoverished girls from around the world to school. Justin Trudeau, Canada’s prime minister justified this policy by saying “Investing in their education is not just the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do. Given the chance, we know women and girls will drive positive change, and help build better lives for themselves, their families, their communities, and, in turn, the world.”.
In this conference, Canada hopes to find a solution that will not only increase the access of education to women and girls around the world, but also ensure that the format of this education minimizes the amount of gender based descrimination girls face in the classroom. Canada is willing to negotiate with countries who share this goal. For example, Germany, who’s German Development Ministry donated 100 million euros to it’s Support Her Education initiative. Canada is also willing to negotiate with countries in need of resources to increase access to education, and, if provided with these resources ensure that they will go towards creating opportunities for women and girls to receive quality education.

Country: Spain
Delegate Name: Aastha Patel

UN Women
Access to Education for Women and Girls
Kingdom of Spain
Aastha Patel
Forest Hills Eastern

Access to education for women and girls is vital; the benefits of education include increased lifetime earnings and a decline in child marriage. Unfortunately, 129 million girls are out of school because of poverty, gender-based violence, and societal gender stereotypes. Access to education is a significant issue in conflict zones and developing nations because many young girls in these areas are expected to work rather than go to school. Additionally, many young girls are forced into marriage, ending any chance of higher education.

In Spain, access to education for women and girls is fairly accessible, as attending school for both genders is compulsory between the ages of six and sixteen. In 2021, the female literacy rate was 99.77 %. Women outnumber men at Spanish universities. In total, 55% of Spanish university students are females receiving further education. In 2019, Spain received the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Prize for Girls’ and Women’s Education. The Department of Education of the Government of Navarre, Spain is recognized for its project, SKOLAE: Growing in equality. An integrated school program that empowers students to make their own choices in life by addressing gender stereotypes in education and beyond. The program promotes a gender-neutral environment that enables learners to identify inequalities, challenge them, and exercise their right to equality no matter what their culture, religion, or orientation may be.

Efforts should be made to increase access to education facilities and improve the educational programming available in those facilities. Spain urges nations to support foundations such as the Malala Fund, which helps bolster girls’ secondary education worldwide, and Womenone, a non-profit devoted to creating positive change in the lives of women and girls globally through access to quality education. Education facilities need to be built in nations where there is a lack. Gender parity needs to be achieved by educating the mass who discriminate against women and think their education is a waste of time and money. It is time to break the stereotype that women and girls should sit at home.

Position Papers for GLIMUN 2022 will appear above this line, with the newest being at the top.