Melanne Verveer Quotes

No country can get ahead when it leaves half of its people behind.

Educating our young girls is the foundation for Nigeria's growth and development.

The world is changing. It is no longer a world just for boys and men

The world cannot afford to lose the talents of half it's people if we are to solve the many problems that beset us.

We are worse off - all of us, including men and boys - if our society is not developing and empowering 100% of the resources of humanity, including women and girls.

The best judge of whether or not a country is going to develop is how it treats its women

And I think women have come a very, very long way, but they have a long way to go.

By and large, women in New Zealand are fortunate compared with some other countries, including many in our own region. But there is still progress to be made.

In too many instances, the march to globalization has also meant the marginalization of women and girls. And that must change.

When women are not at the negotiating table, their rights get negotiated away.

While the overall goal of any society must be to educate all its members, at this stage in human history the greatest need is to educate women and girls. For over twenty years, studies have consistently documented that, of all possible investments, educating women and girls pays the highest overall dividends in terms of social development, the eradication of poverty and the advancement of community.

Social progress can be measured exactly by the social position of the fair sex.

How is our society going to progress if 50 percent of the population is not allowed to contribute?

I think we've come a long way with women's rights, but we've got a long way to go.

There is no reason for women to trail behind men in social, economic, and political outcomes.

No society can thrive when half its people are left behind.

Our Matru Shakti is our pride. Women empowerment is very crucial to our development.

We must do more and with more urgency to empower women.

I think maybe it's too bad that our society isn't further along and this is such a big deal. I think it's time...that people realize that women in this country can do any job they want to do.

As we move into the twenty-first century, women's status in society will become the standard by which to measure our progress toward civility and peace.

I don't think people should think of women's issues as auxiliary issues - they are central.

Just as women's rights are human rights, women's progress is human progress.

For a people is only as great, as free, as lofty, as advanced as its women are free, noble and progressive.

Equality for women is progress for all.

I believe that women should have equal rights to education, to work and to civic and political engagement.