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This year, as we mark the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, an unprecedented financial and economic crisis continues to spread around the globe. The crisis threatens efforts to reduce poverty, and sets back progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

This year, the number of people living in extreme poverty is estimated to be 55 million to 90 million higher than was forecast before the recession. And those who are vulnerable, such as poor families, migrants, women and girls, will suffer the most.

To expand gains in human development, now is the time to invest in women and girls – in their health, education, participation and well-being.

There are more than half a billion adolescent girls in the developing world and they can make a powerful contribution to ending extreme poverty. If they are able to stay in school, postpone marriage and delay pregnancy, they will seek opportunities to improve their lives and the lives of their families. One family at a time, they can help fuel economic growth and prosperity.

The current crisis is an opportunity to use the world’s resources, technology and knowledge to put people first, especially the poor and marginalized. It is an opportunity to provide a social floor of protection, below which no one can fall. And it is an opportunity to reduce risks and lay the foundations of a fairer and more balanced global system that ensures the well-being of all.