Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Declaration on Girls' Education published on 5 May 2021, what steps she is taking to track progress towards the targets for (a) 40 million more girls to be in primary and secondary school in low and lower middle-income countries by 2026 and (b) 20 million more girls to be able to read in low and lower middle-income countries by age 10 or the end of primary school by 2026.

We have committed to publish an annual report tracking progress against the two new global objectives, in collaboration with UNESCO and the UN Girls' Education Initiative. The report is due to be published in the summer of 2022 and annually will highlight the progress that low- and middle-income countries have made in getting 40 million more girls into school and 20 million more girls reading by the age of 10, as well as demonstrating the obstacles that are still to be overcome.