Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to advance gender equality globally.

The FCDO puts women and girls at the heart of its foreign and development policy. As set out in the International Development Strategy, the UK has prioritised action guided by the 3E's: 'Educating Girls, Empowering Women and Ending Violence against women and girls', including using our full range of levers to address the attempted global rollback on women's and girls' rights.

As just one example, at the recent UN General Assembly Third Committee on Human Rights (https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/we-must-respect-the-bodily-autonomy-of-women-and-girls-throughout-their-lives-cross-regional-joint-statement-at-the-un-third-committee), the UK co-led a landmark joint statement with 71 signatory countries, committing to protect and promote Sexual, Reproductive Health and Rights, therefore showing strong UK leadership on gender equality.