Thank you very much.
My name is Inez Kelly. I've been a volunteer for the last 40 years with organizations that are committed to ending extreme poverty on the planet. Within that context of that commitment, about 25 years ago arose the awareness and the realization that when women are empowered and girls are educated we can break the cycle of poverty. When young girls are educated their families become educated, they give birth to healthier children, communities become empowered, and then nations become empowered. Globally it makes a difference.
Recently the Canadian government took on this whole new idea of a feminist international assistance policy. Within the commitment to end extreme poverty, if we want to fulfill that commitment to women, the upcoming Global Partnership for Education replenishment conference, next February, would be an extraordinary opportunity for Canada to really step up and be bold with our commitment to women by contributing or investing $260 million over the course of three years to the Global Partnership for Education, empowering women.
Canada has declared itself a leader in this domain, and it would really make such a huge difference on the planet for Canada to step forth that boldly and commit itself to empowering women and educating girls in the world.