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32nd World Conference of the Your Royal Highnesses, First of all, on behalf of the Jordanian Association for Boy Scouts and Girl Guides may I welcome you all to Jordan: Ahlan Wa’sahlan. We are thrilled that you are here in our country. It is also a personal pleasure for me to be among so many members of the world Girl Guides and Girl Scouts Association. When I was invited to become President of the Jordanian Association in 1989, I was delighted to accept. There has been a long history of guides and scouts in Jordan. The Girl Scouts Association was first introduced here in 1938 and then, in 1956 my mother, the late Queen Zein al Sharaf, accepted the presidency of the Jordanian Association for Boy Scouts and Girl Guides. Under her guidance the activities spread right across the Kingdom. One of the most significant events in the history of the Jordanian Association was a major national jamboree that was held here in Amman in 1963 under the patronage of Her Majesty Queen Zein. Girl Guides from all the country participated; it was the first such event in Jordan where young women took centre stage on their own. It was very much a celebration, and as with all such events in this region, it included singing and music. It created quite a stir. I remember how proud I felt to be walking there at the head of my troop, and saluting my mother, Queen Zein. Today, as the President of the Jordanian Association, I feel that she has transferred that legacy to me, and I also feel proud of all the young women who play such an active role as Girl Scouts and as leaders. We now have several thousand members with troops across the country and a healthy tradition of mothers who were themselves Girl Guides in their youth, encouraging their daughters to join their local troop. As a result of this continuous engagement, we have helped form many of the young adults who now play a leadership role in our country. Through the Jordanian Association, many young girls have been able to pursue their personal ambitions through the scholarship schemes that help those with less financial resources attend university. Other young women have travelled in the region and beyond to attend Girl Scout and Guides events and to take part in joint activities. Throughout the years, during periods of uncertainty and, at times, conflict, the Girl Scout and Guide Association has continuously provided a secure place which transcends social barriers, where girls from different religions, different nationalities and different backgrounds can learn to live together in harmony. The Jordanian Association is also proud to be a member of the Arab Scouts and Guides Association. This regional dimension is important to us. By working with our sister Arab associations, we strengthen the bonds of friendship and solidarity, and enhance our feeling of identity through a celebration of a shared language and culture. By working together, we achieve better results; I am therefore pleased to see so many representatives from the Arab Region here with us. I want now to focus on the main issue for my address today: Adolescent health and the role that WAGGGS can play in promoting the health status of girls and young women. I want to start by making a series of inter-related points about this issue. Firstly, it has to be acknowledged that the whole concept of ‘adolescence’ as a distinct phase in the human life cycle is a relatively recent phenomenon. Across the world, as the status of nutrition and health improve, girls are maturing earlier. With better access to education they are also marrying later and delaying the age at which they have their first child. So, as a result of gains in human development, the distinct period of adolescence now lasts longer. Increasingly we also recognise that adolescence is a critical period for young women– marking the transition from childhood to maturity. The experience of adolescence – whether good or bad - will shape a girl’s future as an adult and potentially as a wife and mother. If the adult world fails to provide the right environment for young girls during adolescence, then the impact will affect generations to come. Secondly, the concept of ‘adolescence’ is also a social construct – very much a product of our times. I think we are all aware of the ways that globalisation has impacted on youth. We witness the explosion of ‘youth culture’ around the world and the emergence of youth as a distinct consumer market. This is hardly surprising: – the defining characteristic of the demographics of the 21st century is that this is a ‘young world’ – there are an estimated 1 billion adolescents globally – half of them young women. Issues of adolescent health cannot be considered in isolation, but have to be understood within this context of global transformation. A third point is that, when identifying programmes to promote health for adolescent girls it is important not to place too much emphasis on the various manifestations of adolescent 'ill-health'. Such an approach tends to perceive adolescence, and indeed adolescents, as a series of 'problems' each requiring a different solution, generally provided by 'experts' rather than by young people themselves. Adolescent ill-health is a symptom of a problem, but it is essential to address the underlying cause. The focus should be on promoting positive messages to enhance well-being through holistic interventions that integrate all aspects of personal development. I will try to adopt that approach throughout this address – by looking at the underlying causes of ‘ill-health’ among adolescents and also by presenting positive messages for solutions that promote holistic development. A holistic approach to health recognises that at every stage of the life cycle, people face distinct health challenges. For girls and women, some of these health needs are directly related to their reproductive roles as females. However, the major health challenges faced by women across the globe relate primarily to their gender roles. They are, to a large extent, the result of social, political, cultural and economic factors that, at every stage in the life cycle prevent women from gaining equal access to assets and opportunities. In many situations the lack of regard for the rights and entitlements of women is maintained through institutions whose policies and processes are often gender blind to the needs of over half the population. These are the fundamental barriers to health and well-being for all women at every stage of their lives. Here in the Middle East, girls and women face a particular range of challenges. The first Arab Human Development Report which was published in 2002, raised awareness of the ways that lack of gender equality undermines human development in the region. Lack of gender equality manifests itself in low rates of literacy, poor health status and high maternal mortality rates. This in turn undermines women's ability to engage fully as active partners in economic and social life. The Arab Human Development Report served a good purpose: it revealed the serious extent of the problem, but, more importantly it also helped mobilize resources and energies to increase efforts to tackle these fundamental issues. As I said in my introduction, I wish to focus on solutions and to reinforce the positive message that, with targeted interventions, much can be achieved. In this respect, perhaps I can take some time to focus on the experience of Jordan. In the mid-twentieth century the ratio of literate to illiterate women was one to nine. With focussed support and strategic interventions, by the end of the 20th century, the ratio was reversed: nine literate women to every illiterate one. At primary and secondary level more girls are now enrolled in schools than boys. Drop-out rates for girls are lower than for boys and educational achievement rates for young women continue to improve. With education comes better health – there is now very little difference between the health status of young men and young women. The context for well-being for adolescent girls is supportive. But we also have to ensure that these achievements translate into economic empowerment. In spite of all the advances in health and education, Jordanian women still only comprise 16% of the formal labour force. It is essential to address this issue: evidence shows that when women earn an income they have more influence on decision-making in the household. As a result, their own health and the health of their children improve. The social barriers that deter women from entering the labour force must be overcome, and this needs to be addressed at an early age. Civil society has a major role to play in this process of widening choices and opportunities for young women. I will illustrate this with examples drawn from my role as the Chairperson of the Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development. In partnership with the Ministry of Education and UNICEF, JOHUD's Youth Resource Centre recently implemented a nationwide program to develop a cadre of around 2000 youth leaders and peer educators. They were then charged with the task of delivering 'Basic Life Skills' as an extra-curricular activity in all schools. This reached over 10,000 young people, over half of them girls. The Basic life Skills program is very similar to the ‘Rights and Responsibilities’ programme implemented across the world by WAGGGS. It focuses on developing the core values of self-awareness and responsibility, respect for others and helping young people have the confidence to think and act for themselves. Many graduates of the program go on to raise resources and implement community projects. One of the most inspiring aspects of these programs is that young women are just as active as the young men (indeed often more so). Youth-led initiatives also engage parents – for example through inter-generational dialogues and through shared learning opportunities. In one particular project – NetCorps Jordan - again implemented by JOHUD’s Youth Resource Centre - over 150 young graduates went out into under-served communities and gave IT training to help bridge the digital divide. Again, almost two thirds of the volunteers were young women, who because of their gender were able to communicate easily with other women. As a result, over one thousand women attended their IT programs – the youngest was 10, the oldest was 65. Under this programme, the gender and generational barriers came tumbling down, and it was the agency of young women that achieved this change. These interventions are creating an environment in which young girls have the skills and the confidence to play a wider range of roles in the family and community. Increasingly young girls are being valued for their individual capabilities and potential, rather than being placed in pre-defined roles according to their gender. Young women who are confident at home and in their community are better equipped with the skills required for the job market today. It has been a slow process, but we are already seeing very positive results. Once the current generation of adolescent girls reaches adulthood, we can expect the pace of positive change to accelerate rapidly. I have focussed on the situation in Jordan, but clearly these issues are faced all over the world. The process of globalisation, made possible through advances in technology, has transformed the way people and nations relate to each other as neighbours in a global village. However, in a globalised world where material values are increasingly dominant, there is a risk that the gap between those who have, and those who have not, will get wider. In the world of the ‘have-nots’, the adolescent girl is increasingly vulnerable to exploitation and oppression. To reduce this vulnerability, young women must be empowered to protect their own health and well-being. They can best achieve this by acting and speaking out for their own interests. In this context, the unique contribution of Girl Guide and Scout organizations is clear – it provides a safe space in which girls can begin to talk more openly about their health concerns. Girl Scout and Guide leaders can ensure that the information they receive is accurate and appropriate, whilst at the same time being presented in a way that is culturally sensitive. WAGGGS can help young women to speak out for themselves. Which leads me now to refer to one of the main issues of the conference this year - the launch of the new vision for the Girl Guide and Girl Scouts Association: ‘A Global Voice for Girls and Young Women’. I am particularly pleased that WAGGGS has adopted this slogan. There are around 10 million members of WAGGGS world-wide, so the voice will be powerful and loud enough to be heard in far corners and in ‘high’ places. Given the number of member countries – 144 – then this implies that the ‘voice’ will in fact be ‘many voices’ – not just in terms of the numbers who will speak, but also in terms of the range of voices that they will reflect the extraordinary diversity of cultures in which the Association thrives. The right to a voice and to participate in making decisions that affect their lives is enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. People tend to think that such conventions are simply about principles and ideals. But these conventions also have an essentially practical and pragmatic aspect: the active participation of young women makes for better policies and better planning. For WAGGGS to design effective programmes that meet their needs, it needs to know about the problems that young women define as important and we need their help in finding the solutions too. I say this because we also have to recognise that adults do not necessarily have the answers. The adolescent women of today are far better equipped to deal with the fast-changing world. For this reason alone, it is essential to tap into their understanding and to validate their views. Young women are the future leaders of our country. We, as leaders in WAGGGS, need these young women just as much as they need us. If they are going to inherit the future, they have a right to shape the present. Let us listen to what they have to say! This means that, as leaders in WAGGGS, we will have to learn to listen supportively, even when they say things we may not understand or want to accept. It is normal for the young people to challenge the views of their leaders, and as leaders, we must be willing to re-think our own views of the world. In a rapidly changing world, our current level of understanding is insufficient, inadequate and even occasionally flawed. It is the young women who will also educate the leaders – communication is a two-way process. Within WAGGGS, it will be necessary to re-think our programmes and the way we run them on the basis of what we heard and learnt. The voice of these young women provides the core data which should inform decisions – they are WAGGGS’ own Research and Development Division. As the current generation of girl guides and girl scouts rise up through the leadership and take more responsibility for the association they will also ensure that this culture of listening is embedded in the systems and that WAGGGS remains genuinely a learning organisation in touch with a changing world. Better understanding alone is not enough- there must also be action. Here I address the leaders of WAGGGS and their guests here today: you are powerful people. WAGGGS needs to harness your energies100% for the cause of adolescent women. Many of you work in institutions whose policies, processes and programmes affect the lives of young women. You have access to policy forums and to the ears of decision-makers. At every possible occasion, please use your influence to empower young women by creating the necessary enabling environment: help remove the barriers that prevent them being active agents of their own change. You have an advantage – through WAGGGS you are in touch with the real voice of young women. Please refer to it. In so doing, you demonstrate your own legitimacy to speak out – your opinion is backed by research and evidence. You also validate the voice of young women themselves. I look around the room here today and see over 500 people – 500 voices all advocating for the well-being of adolescent women. I hope this will be a ‘noisy’ conference, loud enough for the messages to travel beyond this conference hall and be heard across the world. With 10 million voices - just think how much can be achieved! |
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