During her participation in the first day of the informal meeting of European Union Foreign Ministers on Cypress, on Friday, 7 September 2012, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Vesna Pusić spoke on behalf of Austria, Slovenia and Croatia on foreign

Within the European Union, the importance of investing in education as a prerequisite for successful post-conflict restoration and rehabilitation has been recognised, and the rights of women and girls are closely tied to this.

In her speech, Minister Pusić stressed the five key elements in the joint activities of the European Union: 1. The construction of schools (infrastructure and equipment); 2. Securing access to schools and education for children, including transport; 3. Motivating parents to send their children to school, particularly girls, and securing equal conditions for all pupils (e.g. school uniforms, nutrition, etc.); 4. Ensuring the quality of education, with an emphasis on preventing all forms of violence (from war to family) and educating children on human rights and learning, and finally, 5. Stressing the clear objectives in the post-conflict societies through the healing of wounds and building of trust between and within groups impacted by conflicts, sustaining peace, increasing opportunities for employment, particularly for women, maximizing the effect and benefits of education for the whole of society.

She also mentioned the recent results of a survey by the Girl Effect Foundation, in which women reinvest 90% of their earnings back into the family, while only 30-40% of men do the same.

“We believe that these are essential steps to be taken for education to become a successful and efficient instrument in building post-conflict societies,” commented Minister Pusić.



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