Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in the Southern African Development Community countries on advancing gender equality.

Gender equality is a priority for this Government as demonstrated by its commitment to Women and Girls, including twelve years of quality education and the recent UK-hosted Conference Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative. All Ministers with responsibility for development, including the Foreign Secretary, raise these issues with their Southern Africa Development Community counterparts. For example, in October, the Foreign Secretary raised preventing sexual violence in conflict with the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo and in November, the State Visit of the President of South Africa was used to highlight the UK-South Africa partnership on gender equality.