Washington DC - Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai and the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Kristalina Georgieva reignited new calls for more investment in girls' education this week.

"If we want to bring the economy back on track, we have to make the right investments," Georgieva said on Monday, at the start of the Spring Meeting events of the IMF and World Bank.

"If you want growth to be higher, If you want your budget revenues to increase, please educate girls, and empower women," she added.

"No country can succeed without tapping the full potential of all people - men and women. It's like clapping with one hand."

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The annual gathering in Washington is attended by finance ministers, central bankers, and other representatives of the global financial and development sectors.

Pakistani Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai joined the event via videolink and was among the most prominent voices also urging those attending to increase funding for girls' education and promote equality for women.

This, she argued, contributes to a country's economic performance, helps fight poverty, and curbs conflict.

In 2014, Yousafzai, now 24, became the youngest ever winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for her commitment to education. She was already an activist when Taliban militants shot her in the head on a bus on her way home from school in an attempt to silence her.

The 2022 Spring Meetings will continue through the weekend and end this Sunday, and were held this year in a hybrid format, both in-person and virtually.