Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will take steps to encourage female participation in peace processes in Sudan in order to ensure that women from all sections of society are represented in those processes.

We are taking steps to ensure female participation in Sudan’s peace processes. At the national level we have regularly called on the Government of Sudan to include all parts of society in the ongoing National Dialogue, which aims to secure peace in Sudan. We have also supported engagement by UK parliamentarians with female parliamentarians in Sudan to strengthen the role of women in Sudan. Additionally, we are supporting work in Darfur and South Kordofan to ensure women are represented in community peace and conflict resolution processes.