Official Development Assistance

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon Excerpts

Tuesday 4th November 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)]

The noble Lord is right that in Afghanistan in particular—but not only Afghanistan—there are real problems in accessing education for girls. We will continue to support work on that in those places. More widely on education, especially for girls, the best thing we can do is support countries to strengthen their own education system so that they are able to educate their children and that girls get the protection that access to education provides. We look not only at access but at quality and standards so that, when a girl has completed her education, she has a good standard of literacy and is able to move on, support herself, and contribute to her community and country in the way that so many women want.

[Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con)]

My Lords, the previous Government established women mediator networks; I gave evidence recently to the IDC on this. In agreeing with my noble friend Lady Hodgson, I offer a suggestion in a practical and positive way. We really need to empower those women mediator networks because, as the noble Lord, Lord McConnell, who raised this Question, said, avoiding conflict at its beginning is crucial. When women are involved, conflicts are resolved quicker and peace lasts longer. Can we please make sure that those mediator networks are working to their fullest capacity?

[Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)]

I thank the noble Lord for raising that point and in a constructive way, as he always does on these occasions, and for the experience which he brings. The initiative he describes has a lot of merit and I will look into it. He is absolutely right to point to the pivotal role of women in these situations.