Ross
ROBERTSON
Associate Disarmament Spokesperson
10 November 2012 MEDIA STATEMENT

Education a right for all worldwide

As the President of Parliamentarians for Global Action, Labour MP Ross Robertson has joined the UN Secretary General,Ban Ki-moon, and his Special Envoy for Global Education, Gordon Brown, on Malala’s Day, in calling for every girl and boy to have their right to education upheld and protected.

“One of our former PGA Members, Dr. Noor Jehan Panezai, was born in a Pashtun tribal village, in Balochistan, Pakistan. Contrary to local tradition, her family was passionate about education and the girls of the village were all educated. She trained as an obstetrician/gynaecologist and for over two decades was a formidable presence in Pakistan politics.

“She advocated tirelessly for reproductive health and rights and fought hard against the stigma and discrimination toward people living with Aids.

“Without her education, Dr. Panezai would not have been able to bring change to her country.

“We need to remind ourselves that education is a fundamental human right and that it leads to a path of respect and tolerance among citizens and between nations. Education is a universal right offering girls and boys a journey of choices, growth and possibilities.

“I add my voice to raise hope and advocate for the right to education of 61 million children that are not in school,” says Ross Robertson.

“Parliamentarians for Global Action’s vision is to contribute to the creation of a rules-based international order for a more equitable, safe and democratic world. And without a doubt, this vision begins with the right to education.”

© Scoop Media

World Refugee Day:
Are We Doing Our Bit?

On World Refugee Day, Thursday June 20th, Doing Our Bit will officially launch a campaign to double New Zealand’s UNHCR Refugee Resettlement Quota...

New Zealand’s low refugee intake is not a new issue. In February a NZ Herald editorial commented that our intake was ‘paltry’, remarking that ‘surely we could do more’. In April, Amnesty International described the quota as ‘tiny'.

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