Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to enable the UK to use its presidencies of the G7 and COP26 to ensure that it and other nations (a) build on initial progress on eradicating female genital mutilation and (b) make a renewed commitment to SDG 4.

The UK Government has led international efforts to end female genital mutilation (FGM). Since 2013, UK aid has helped over 10,000 communities (representing over 27 million people) pledge to abandon FGM. Over 4 million girls and women have received health, social and legal services related to FGM. The UK will use its G7 Presidency to spearhead international action on Gender Equality - focusing on educating girls, empowering women, and ending violence against women and girls. As part of advancing SDG 4, we will seek to build support for ambitious new targets of getting 40 million more girls into education by 2025 and achieving a one-third improvement in girls' reading by age 10. We will also work towards a successful replenishment of the Global Partnership for Education. We are committed to delivering an inclusive COP26, including by addressing the needs and priorities of women and girls and advancing gender equality within climate action and finance. Quality education, especially for girls, is central to tackling climate change effectively.