A/HRC/27/34 10. Ayman Sadek stated that Plan International was committed to combating child, early and forced marriage not only as a barrier to development but also as a serious violation of a wide range of fundamental human rights. He referred to the work conducted by Plan International on the issue as multifaceted, involving three levels of change within the framework of the global “Because I am a Girl” campaign: firstly, working with institutions and Governments to achieve change in laws and polices; secondly, working with families and communities to change social structures and to challenge harmful social norms; and thirdly, working with boys and girls to empower them to bring about change. He referred to a good practice, in Egypt, where Plan used an empowerment training programme, the Arab Women Speak-Out (AWSO) methodology, to help women to overcome social, economic, educational and political obstacles by providing realistic role models that inspire action and increase self-esteem. Dr. Sadek also emphasized the importance of involving men and boys, as well as traditional and religious leaders, in efforts to end child marriage. 11. Before giving the floor to States, non-governmental organizations and national human rights institutions, the Chairperson acknowledged the presence of the African Union Goodwill Ambassador for Ending Child Marriage, Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda. In her intervention, the Goodwill Ambassador stated that child, early and forced marriage was the nexus between household poverty, violence against women, abuse of cultures, traditions and religion and gender inequalities. She urged the Human Rights Council to endorse an annual resolution on the issue and Member States to address its underlying causes, including the feminization of household poverty. She also recommended that Member States take steps to harmonize the age of marriage with the legal age of majority, facilitate civil registration of births and marriages, ensure greater investment in education for girls, and promote young women’s leadership and empowerment. She also called for political, financial and technical investment and community resources to end child, early and forced marriage. She concluded that, with collective efforts, child marriage could be ended within a single generation. 12. In their interventions, States agreed that child, early and forced marriage was correlated with poverty, including a cycle of poverty for future generations. It undermined the well-being of women and young girls and was an obstacle to the enjoyment of other human rights. Speakers expressed concern about the long-standing and wide-ranging consequences of child, early and forced marriage, such as violence, and pointed out its impact on health, education and employment of women and girls. It was necessary to address the root causes of child, early and forced marriage, such as cultural norms, discrimination against women and girls, negative stereotypes and gender inequality, which allowed it to persist. 13. There was also agreement that child marriage was a serious violation of human rights, a harmful practice and a barrier to development. The need for comprehensive and coordinated approaches and leadership to translate States’ commitment into concrete and sustained actions to end the practice was emphasized. Non-governmental organizations recalled that, if the international community was to end child, early and forced marriage in one generation, there was a need for sustainable programmes, owned and supported by key stakeholders in communities and countries. 14. Several speakers stressed the need for the Human Rights Council to continue to work on this serious human rights violation and to monitor the measures that States were taking to eliminate it. They also stressed the importance of ensuring that child, early and forced marriage was included in the post-2015 development agenda. 15. The speakers asked panellists several questions, including on good practices and challenges in addressing child, early and forced marriage; how to ensure that the issue would remain on the post-2015 development agenda; the tools required to scale up good 4