Source: Diplomatic Courier
At the millennium summit of the United Nations in September of 2000, the nations of the world adopted a series of goals aimed at increasing the quality of life for all of humankind by 2015.

Eight specific initiatives, commonly known as Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), ranging from eradicating hunger, reducing child mortality, and combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, were identified as the most significant impediments to our sustainability and improving the human condition. There has been measurable progress, with some research on the MDGs showing that global poverty has been halved five years ahead of the 2015 timeframe, with remarkable gains having also been made in the fight against communicable disease. These accomplishments should be celebrated.

But other areas, including gender equality and women's empowerment, fall short of the MDG target of eliminating gender disparity and providing equal access for women in primary and secondary education. In 2011, there were 31 million girls out of school, of whom 55 percent are expected never to enroll. Two-thirds of the global illiterate population are women. As a high school civics teacher by training, I firmly believe that education is the key to opening minds and achieving progress. As a woman entrepreneur, I also believe that meeting our goals of inclusiveness and economic empowerment can transform the economy in every part of the world. We must find a way to assure that we continue to support the advancement of women if we are committed to a better world with more opportunity for everyone.

• Nearly 1 billion women are expected to move into the global economy by 2020;

• Women traditionally invest a higher proportion of their earnings in their families and communities than men;

• When 10 percent more girls go to school, a country's GDP increases on average by 3 percent.

Despite this enormous opportunity, women currently hold only 5 percent of Fortune 500 CEO positions. Corporations must lead by example and put women in positions of leadership, not because they're women, but because they're the most qualified for a given position. Diversity of backgrounds—be it gender, education, or professional experience—helps fuel the company culture and increases creative thinking and unique problem solving approaches.

Entities today understand the need for diversity, so we are witnessing an era where women should be afforded both the potential and opportunity to lead an organization and construct movements, build brands and achieve meaningful change. Whether women are more social, better collaborators, or excel at relationship building, it's more of a function of opportunity meeting potential. This opportunity starts with meeting the goal of universal education for girls at the primary and secondary level across the globe, and continues with progress towards gender equality.

This is a collective commitment and shared responsibility. For the last decade, my company, APCO Worldwide, has helped develop and strengthen a signature partnership with the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, which helps more than 10 million girls and young women in 145 countries realize their full potential as responsible citizens of the world. APCO has also worked directly with the UN Foundation to develop a "Roadmap" report that analyzes existing women's economic empowerment programs and showcases the most effective interventions. But we can do more, and we will do more.

In January 2015, the world's most influential leaders across the public and private sector will gather at Davos to consider "The New Global Context." Let's commit ourselves to highlighting women in this new context, and the extraordinary opportunity offered through the education and empowerment of women. There is an old African proverb that states, "If you educate a man you educate an individual, but if you educate a woman you educate a nation." It is incumbent among us all—men, women, boys and girls—to understand and make this "context" a reality. It is for us to make women's empowerment a shared purpose and realize that this shared purpose is a prerequisite for economic and social progress.

Let's celebrate the potential each young girl has and transform our global pledges into substantial results.