A/RES/60/141 on the quality of her life and leave her open to further discrimination, violence and neglect, Emphasizing that increased access to education, including in the areas of sexual and reproductive health, for young people, especially girls, dramatically lowers their vulnerability to preventable diseases, in particular HIV/AIDS infection and sexually transmitted diseases, Concerned by the increasing number of child-headed households, in particular those headed by orphan girls, including those orphaned by the HIV/AIDS pandemic, Deeply concerned that early childbearing and limited access to sexual and reproductive health care, including in the area of emergency obstetric care, causes high levels of fistula and maternal mortality and morbidity, Convinced that racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance reveal themselves in a differentiated manner for women and girls and can be among the factors leading to a deterioration in their living conditions, poverty, violence, multiple forms of discrimination and limitation or denial of their human rights, Stresses the need for full and urgent implementation of the rights of the 1. girl child as guaranteed to her under all human rights instruments, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child2 and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women,1 as well as the need for universal ratification of those instruments; 2. Urges States to consider signing, ratifying or acceding to the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women 18 and the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child;3, 4 3. Urges all States to take all necessary measures and to institute legal reforms to ensure the full and equal enjoyment by the girl child of all human rights and fundamental freedoms and to take effective action against violations of those rights and freedoms; Urges all Governments and the United Nations system to strengthen 4. efforts bilaterally and with international organizations and private-sector donors in order to achieve the goals of the World Education Forum,16 in particular that of eliminating gender disparities in primary and secondary education by 2005, and to implement the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative as a means of reaching this goal, and reaffirms the commitment contained in the United Nations Millennium Declaration6 in this regard; 5. Calls upon all States to take measures to address the obstacles that continue to affect the achievement of the goals set forth in the Beijing Platform for Action,11 as contained in paragraph 33 of the further actions and initiatives to implement the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, 19 where appropriate, including the strengthening of national mechanisms to implement policies and programmes for the girl child and, in some cases, to enhance coordination among responsible institutions for the realization of the human rights of girls, as indicated in the further actions and initiatives; _______________ 18 19 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 2131, No. 20378. Resolution S-23/3, annex. 3