“Girls matter” to sustainability and growth of the whole world

Vulnerable girls in their early teens are the Sustainable Development Goal, or “SDG generation”, whose well-being should be the standard by which we judge the success of the ambitious 2030 global goals. That’s according to Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), speaking ahead of World Population Day on Monday. He told Matthew Wells why they’d chosen this year’s theme of “Investing in Teenage Girls” and why it was so important to help them thrive by 2030.

The “indispensable” role of men and boys in realizing gender equality

Men and boys are being encouraged to “think differently” about gender relations in order to achieve full equality between the sexes. The call has been made by Lakshmi Puri, Deputy Executive Director of UN Women, who says gender equality is critical to realizing social and economic change, as well as sustainable peace following conflict. Pierre-Marc René caught up with Ms Puri in Mexico where she attended the recent Forbes “Powerful Women” Summit. She spoke about empowering women in the country and worldwide, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

One South Sudanese mother’s “dream and hope” of peace, 5 years on

One mother from South Sudan has been speaking of her “dream and hope” of a peaceful nation at last, five years on from the country’s independence. The capital of the world’s newest nation was plunged back into violent chaos in the last few days as rival military forces confronted each other on the streets.After more than two years of civil war, 700,000 South Sudanese are refugees in neighbouring countries. One mother who hopes to return home now, has been living under UN protection for more than two years.She’s been telling Jacob Ruai about her hopes for a brighter future.

Presenter: Matthew Wells

Production Assistant: Sandra Guy

Duration: 10'00″