Devex: Girls and women transforming their future
Justine Greening, U.K. secretary of state for international development

“…In too many communities and countries, simply being born a girl is enough to define and limit what you can achieve in your life. If we are to give girls and women a chance to have their own future, we need to overcome the deep-rooted prejudices and social norms that hold them back. Since becoming the U.K.’s international development secretary, I have put girls and women firmly at the heart of everything my department does. … It is for this reason that Prime Minister David Cameron will host an international summit in London this July to galvanize global efforts to help eliminate these two neglected issues [of female genital mutilation and forced marriage]. … Helping girls and women have the chance to write their own futures is of critical importance not just to them but to their communities and their countries. No country can develop properly when it leaves half its population behind…” (3/27).