EurActiv: Why women and girls must be at the heart of the E.U. development agenda
Linda McAvan, British Labour Party Member of the European Parliament

“…[A] mounting body of evidence has also shown that if we invest in girls and women, it helps their families, communities, and whole economies too. … This is why girls and women are central to achieving the new global goals — the Sustainable Development Goals — which will be set out by world leaders this year. If we are serious about ending extreme poverty by 2030, as the goals aim to, it is imperative to focus on those who are worst off and hardest to reach — which very often means girls and women. … In this year of change, 2015, we must seize this once-in-a-generation opportunity to refocus the development agenda and unleash the human, social, political, and economic potential of women everywhere…” (5/13).