ESCWA, the United Nations Population Fund - Arab States Regional Office (UNFPA - ASRO), the United Nations Children's Fund - Middle East and North Africa Regional Office, (UNICEF - MENARO) and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women - Regional Office for Arab States (UN-Women - ROAS) have undertaken a background study to investigate the feasibility of developing a methodology for estimating the cost of child marriage in the Arab region. Based on this feasibility study, which was carried out in 2020, two in-depth reports were issued:
- Phase I report: The Cost of Child Marriage over the Life Cycle of Girls and Women: Evidence from Egypt, Iraq, Jordan and Tunisia
- Phase II report: Estimating the Economic Costs of Child Marriage in the Arab Region
In this context, and in honor of the annual International Day of the Girl Child, ESCWA, UNFPA and UNICEF are holding an event to formally present the findings of the Phase II report, within the context of the Phase I report and the initial feasibility study. The event includes a discussion on the findings and the possible next steps to ensure that child marriage is addressed in a holistic manner.
The launch engages a variety of stakeholders, including national women’s machineries, United Nations agencies, government representatives, international non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, academics, researchers, and the media.