A/RES/69/156 Child, early and forced marriage Recalling the agreed conclusions adopted by the Commission on the Status of Women at its fifty-seventh10 and fifty-eighth11 sessions, Taking note with appreciation of the report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights of 2 April 2014 on preventing and eliminating child, early and forced marriage 12 and its summary report of 18 July 2014 on the panel discussion on preventing and eliminating child, early and forced marriage, 13 and noting the summary report on the panel discussion held by the General Assembly on 5 September 2014, Recognizing that child, early and forced marriage is a harmful practice that violates, abuses and impairs human rights and is linked to and perpetuates other harmful practices and human rights violations and that such violations have a disproportionately negative impact on women and girls, and underscoring the human rights obligations and commitments of States to promote and protect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of women and girls and to prevent and eliminate the practice of child, early and forced marriage, Deeply concerned about the continued prevalence of child, early and forced marriage worldwide, including the fact that approximately 15 million girls are married every year before they reach 18 years of age and that more than 700 million women and girls alive today were married before their eighteenth birthday, Noting with concern that the continued prevalence of child, early and forced marriage has had a negative impact on the achievement and the overarching aims of Millennium Development Goals 1 to 6, including in the areas of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, poverty reduction, education, maternal and child mortality and health, including sexual and reproductive health, and recognizing that child, early and forced marriage continues to impair sustainable development, inclusive economic growth and social cohesion, Noting with concern also that poverty and insecurity are among the root causes of child, early and forced marriage and that child, early and forced marriage remains common in rural areas and among the poorest communities, and recognizing that the immediate alleviation and eventual eradication of extreme poverty must remain a high priority for the international community, Recognizing that child, early and forced marriage is itself a barrier to development and helps to perpetuate the cycle of poverty and that the risk of child, early and forced marriage is also exacerbated in conflict and humanitarian crisis situations, Recognizing also that child, early and forced marriage is inherently linked to deep-rooted gender inequalities, norms and stereotypes and to harmful practices, perceptions and customs that are obstacles to the full enjoyment of human rights and that the persistence of child, early and forced marriage places children, in particular the girl child, at risk of being exposed to and encountering various forms of discrimination and violence throughout their lives, _______________ 10 Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 2013, Supplement No. 7 (E/2013/27), chap. I, sect. A. 11 Ibid., 2014, Supplement No. 7 (E/2014/27), chap. I, sect. A. 12 A/HRC/26/22 and Corr.1. 13 A/HRC/27/34. 2/4

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