UN Women Deputy Executive Director: 133 million girls worldwide are out of school

Around the world, 133 million girls are unable to attend school, while barriers to completing 12 years of education could cost countries between $15 trillion and $33 trillion in lost productivity and income, UN Women Deputy Executive Director Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda said in a video address to participants of the 7th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue in Baku.

According to Report, she cited UNESCO's 2026 Global Education Monitoring Report, which found that 273 million children and young people worldwide are out of school, including 133 million girls.

Gumbonzvanda noted that Azerbaijan's commitment to advancing girls' education had been translated into concrete action through an initiative launched following a meeting held in Baku in 2017 with UNESCO's participation. At the time, a global humanitarian call was issued to invest in girls' education.

The deputy executive director also stressed that, nearly a decade later, the forum provided an opportunity to assess progress, identify persistent challenges and reaffirm a shared commitment to investing in girls' education and expanding women's economic opportunities.

She also drew attention to the issue of child marriage.

"According to UNICEF estimates, 12 million girls are married before the age of 18 every year. Efforts to eradicate this practice must be significantly accelerated to achieve this goal by 2030," she said.

Gumbonzvanda also highlighted the importance of international cooperation. In particular, the Equal Opportunities in Technology programme was expanded in April 2026 to include Bahrain. Under the initiative, partners from Türkiye and Azerbaijan joined forces to develop students' skills in emerging technologies.

She stressed that dialogue helps identify common ground and translate shared values into joint action to advance the rights of women and girls.