; Whereas women and girls still face violence and gender-based discrimination that limit their economic opportunities; Whereas the poverty burden remains overwhelmingly concentrated in some parts of the world, including sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia; Whereas the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development introduces new focus areas that are key to ending extreme poverty, including accountable government institutions, which came out of the understanding that structural inequalities in societies keep people in poverty; Whereas the Sustainable Development Goals call for global action and coordination to achieve a dignified life for all people, peace, prosperity, a sustainable planet, and strong global partnership; Whereas gender equality is the fifth Sustainable Development Goal which builds on the successes of the third Millennium Development Goal, promoting gender equality and empowering women; Whereas, from 2000 to 2015, about two-thirds of countries in the developing world achieved gender parity in primary education, but disparities persist at the secondary and tertiary levels; Whereas the average proportion of women in parliaments nearly doubled between 1995 and 2015, yet gender parity in government remains a distant goal; Whereas one of the key targets of gender equality as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is to eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking, sexual, and other types of exploitation; Whereas the total number of girls married before the age of 18 stands at 12,000,000 per year, and more than 150,000,000 additional girls will get married in childhood by 2030