In the Council on Foreign Relations’ (CFR) “Development Channel” blog, Lynn ElHarake, research associate for CFR’s Women and Foreign Policy Program, “discusses how motherhood in childhood undermines economic growth, health, gender equality, and development.” She discusses a report published by the U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA) last month that examines the “consequences of unplanned adolescent pregnancies around the world,” and writes, “As the UNFPA report mentions, governments and international actors have already made progress reducing adolescent pregnancies through programs that promote girls’ education, create economic opportunities for women, and reduce HIV/AIDS rates. But the report also calls for a ‘shift away from interventions targeted at girls,’ and instead toward more ‘broad-based approaches’ that aim to build girls’ human capital and empower them to make their own decisions, especially regarding family planning” (11/20).