Canada Teams Up with Japan, Others to Aid Education for Women

June 10, 2018

Charlevoix, Canada- The government of Canada at a Group of Seven summit on Saturday announced a joint program with Japan and other G-7 nations to contribute 3.8 billion Canadian dollars to support education for women.

The other partners are Britain, Germany, the European Union and the World Bank, according to the Canadian government, the chair of the two-day summit, held in Charlevoix in the eastern part of the country from Friday.

The initiative is the single largest investment in education for women and girls in crisis and conflict situations, it said, adding, "To make gender equality a reality, all women and girls around the world must have equal access to quality education and learning opportunities."

The program calls for supporting developing countries to equally offer high-quality education to women and girls for at least 12 years. It also supports efforts to improve education curricula and job training for women.

The United States, a member of the G-7 forum, does not take part in the initiative, according to Canadian media.

"We need to work together to ensure all women and girls have access to quality education and modern skills training," Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said. "From primary school to secondary school and beyond, women and girls in crisis and conflict situations must have the same opportunities to succeed."

Malala Yousafzai, a renowned activist for education for women and the winner of the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize, welcomed the initiative, saying on Twitter that the commitment will give more girls hopes that they can "build a brighter future for themselves and their countries."

"It gives young women in developing countries the opportunity to pursue careers instead of early marriage and child labor," she said. Jiji Press