 Hello, I'm Penny Williams. One of the pleasures of my work as Australia's global ambassador for women and girls is the chance to meet with young women across the world. It's a privilege to hear them speak about their hopes, their dreams and the challenges they overcome each day to achieve their aspirations. Earlier this year, I talked with a group of young women who had travelled from around the globe to attend the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. It was a typically cold February morning in New York, but the room in which we gathered was warm and lively with the enthusiasm of these girls. They had come from places as diverse as Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Egypt. They represented different cultures. They spoke different languages. Their life experiences were varied, but they shared a common goal to contribute to the creation of a world where women and girls could reach their full potential as equal and respected members of their societies. It struck me that the conversation among these young women and their presence at the Commission on the Status of Women was as important as the discussions about gender policy occurring among senior officials in the Commission's main meeting rooms. Those girls represented everything we worked towards in international conferences, in the formulation of our national policies and in the way we daily shape our communities to be a place where both young women and young men can thrive. The research is clear. When girls reach their full potential through improved status, better healthcare and education, it's the most effective development tool for society as a whole. That's why the United Nations has recognised the importance of girls to the well-being of all countries by declaring the 11th of October to be International Day of the Girl Child. In 2012, as the world celebrates this day for the first time, we are saying it's not acceptable to live in a world where girls do not have equal access to education and healthcare. It is not acceptable to live in a world where young girls are taken out of school and forced into early marriage or where the threat of gender-based violence is a daily reality at home, in the street, at school and at work. It's not acceptable that as our girls mature, their employment opportunities and their roles as leaders and decision makers are limited. Every girl who gets the opportunity she deserves means one more scientist discovering a breakthrough, one more peacemaker negotiating ceasefires and one more leader helping to shape a better future. The International Day of the Girl Child is a marker day. It's a day to stop and think about the future of the girls we know. Our daughters, our granddaughters, our nieces, our friends and also the girls we haven't met. It's a day to reflect on what we can do individually and as a community to ensure all girls inhabit societies that are seeded with justice and that yield equality. Welcoming the United Nations decision to declare this day, the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize winner Leigh Mae Gubbaway has said girls are the future of the world. Let this be our catch-cry as we observe International Day of the Girl Child and as we strive every day to make our communities places where our girls are nurtured, encouraged and celebrated.