Kathmandu, Nov 29: Ambassador Md. Golam Sarwar, Secretary General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), attends Asia Launch: State of the World’s Girls Report 2025 “Let Me Be a Child, Not a Wife” in Bangkok, Thailand.
Secretary General Sarwar and Ms. Bhagyashri Dengle, Regional Director of Plan International Asia Pacific launched, Asia Launch: State of the World’s Girls Report 2025 “Let Me Be a Child, Not a Wife”, marking a significant milestone in advancing gender equality and amplifying the voices of adolescent girls worldwide.
The launch event brought together government representatives, civil society leaders, youth advocates, and international partners to highlight the urgent need for collective action to address the challenges faced by girls in education, health, safety, and leadership.
The report highlights the lived realities of married girls across diverse contexts, shedding light on challenges they face in education, health, and protection, while amplifying their voices to inform global advocacy and policy.
In his keynote address, the Secretary General underscored that efforts must extend beyond prevention, ensuring that married girls have access to education, health services, psychosocial care, protection mechanisms, and socio-economic empowerment opportunities.
The Secretary General highlighted the SAARC Regional Action Plan on Adolescent Pregnancy and the Regional Stakeholders Working Group on Adolescent Pregnancy as key mechanisms to address root causes, strengthen policy frameworks, and align regional efforts with global priorities, including the Sustainable Development Goals.
The Secretary General expressed gratitude for the strong collaboration between SAARC, Plan International, civil society, UN agencies, and development partners, noting that these partnerships have enriched regional dialogue and strengthened national capacities.
The Secretary General cautioned that global crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, displacement, and persistent gender inequalities, have heightened vulnerabilities for girls and, in some cases, reversed hard-won gains.
The Secretary General urged governments, civil society, community leaders, and families to intensify efforts through integrated, multi-sectoral responses, while emphasizing the importance of listening to girls, respecting their agency, and ensuring their participation in shaping policies and programmes.
In his concluding remarks, the Secretary General reaffirmed SAARC’s unwavering commitment to ending child marriage, advancing the rights and wellbeing of girls, and fostering an enabling environment in which every girl can reach her full potential.
“When South Asia protects its daughters, it protects its future. Together, let us continue building a South Asia where every girl is safe, empowered, educated, and free to shape her own future,” he stated. #saarc #undp
