“Investing in girls is the right thing to do. It is also the smart thing to do.”- Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Managing Director, World Bank

Plan USA, one of the world’s largest development organizations, recently released another Because I am a Girl 2009 report, the third in a series of eight, entitled “Girls in the Global Economy: Adding It All Up.” The report analyzes the importance of women and girls in economic growth and recovery.

New research found that women are disproportionately affected by financial crisis; they are the first to lose their jobs, receive salary cuts, and be forced out of school. These circumstances increase instances of child labor and exploitative industries, like sex work.

The report called for a ten-point action plan to help build economies and improve the lives of women and girls:

1. No compromise on global gender equality goals and international commitments.
2. Promote the full integration of gender equality principles into national and regional economic policies.
3. Prioritize girls’ education from their earliest years through to adolescence and beyond.
4. Maintain national social protection programs and safeguard social services.
5. Scale up investment in young women’s work opportunities.
6. Support young women workers and ensure they get decent pay and conditions.
7. Invest in young women’s leadership.
8. Ensure equality for girls and young women in land and property ownership.
9. Count and value girls and young women’s work through national and international data disaggregation.
10. Develop and promote a set of practical global guiding principles on girls and young women at work.

Full Report