United Nations Secretary-General Koffi Annan has warned that unless deliberate efforts are taken to ensure girls access school, the fight against poverty in developing countries will be futile. He said educating girls was vital as it would increase economic activity, cut mortality rates, improve nutrition and prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS. Annan made the remarks in support of a report by the Global Campaign for Education (GCE), which revealed that 65 million girls world-wide are not attending school.