International Development Outcomes for Women and Girls

Lord Loomba Excerpts

Thursday 9th July 2026 Grand Committee

[Lord Loomba (CB)]

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Baroness, Lady Sugg, for initiating this important debate today. I declare my interest as founder, chairman and trustee of the Loomba Foundation and vice-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on the United Nations Global Goals.

For nearly three decades, the Loomba Foundation has worked to improve the lives of widows and their children, especially girls, through education, skills training, economic empowerment and international advocacy. There are almost 300 million widows worldwide, which is confirmed by UN Women. Many millions live in extreme poverty and face discrimination, dispossession and harmful traditional practices simply because they have lost their husbands. The consequences extend far beyond the widows themselves, disproportionately affecting their children, especially girls, through lost education, reduced opportunity and entrenched poverty. If we are serious about achieving the sustainable development goals on ending poverty and hunger, ensuring good health, quality education, gender equality, decent work, reduced inequalities and peace and justice, we cannot ignore the plight of widows.

I warmly acknowledge the long-standing support that successive UK Governments have given to the Loomba Foundation, including during the successful campaign that led to the United Nations unanimously adopting 23 June as International Widows Day. However, there is no doubt that reductions in overseas development aid have made the task significantly harder at a time of increasing global instability and humanitarian need. Will the Government work with international NGOs, including the Loomba Foundation, to mitigate the impact of reduced funding through greater collaboration, improved data collection and stronger evidence-based policy? On International Widows Day this year, we adopted the Universal Declaration of Widows’ Rights, founded on a simple principle: widowhood is the loss of a spouse; it must not become the loss of rights. I hope the Government will support that principle in both policy and practice.