The girl child A/RES/70/138 vulnerability to preventable diseases and infections, in particular HIV and othe r sexually transmitted infections, 1. Stresses the need for the full and urgent implementation of the rights of the girl child as provided to her under human rights instruments, and urges States to consider signing and ratifying or acceding to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1 the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, 2 the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 3 and the Optional Protocols thereto 4 as a matter of priority; 2. Urges all States that have not yet ratified or acceded to the Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138), 18 and the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182), 19 of the International Labour Organization to consider doing so; 3. Urges States to improve the situation of girl children living in poverty, in particular extreme poverty, deprived of adequate food and nutrition, water and sanitation facilities, with limited or no access to basic physical and mental health care services, shelter, education, participation and protection, taking into account that, while a severe lack of goods and services hurts every human being, it is particularly threatening and harmful to the girl child and is further exacerbated by living in a child-headed household, leaving her unable to enjoy her rights, to reach her full potential and to participate as a full member of society; 4. Calls upon States to recognize the right to education on the basis of equal opportunity and non-discrimination by making primary education compulsory and available free to all children, including those living in rural areas, and ensuring that all children have equal access to quality education, as well as making secondary and tertiary education available and accessible to all, in particular through the progressive introduction of free secondary education, bearing in mind that special measures to ensure equal access, including affirmative action, ensuring physical access to education, including by increasing financial incentives to families, improving the safety of girls on the way to and from school, ens uring that all schools are accessible, safe, secure and free from violence and providing hygienic, separate and adequate sanitation facilities, contribute to achieving equal opportunity and combating exclusion and ensuring school attendance, in particular for girls and children from low-income families and children who become heads of households; 5. Calls upon all States to place enhanced emphasis on quality education, including communications and technology education, where available, for the girl child, including catch-up and literacy education for those who did not receive formal education, special initiatives for keeping girls in school through post -primary education, including those who are already married or pregnant, to promote access to skills and entrepreneurship training for young women and to tackle male and female stereotypes, in order to ensure that young women entering the labour market have opportunities to obtain full and productive employment, equitable compensation and decent work; 6. Calls upon States, with the support, where appropriate, of international organizations, civil society and non-governmental organizations, to develop policies and programmes, giving priority to formal, informal and non-formal education programmes, including age-appropriate sex education with appropriate direction and guidance from parents and legal guardians, that support girls and adolescent girls _______________ 18 19 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1015, No. 14862. Ibid., vol. 2133, No. 37245. 5/12