Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that young people in developing countries are able to access social services and work opportunities.

The UK is taking a range of steps, from supporting young people in poor and vulnerable households with basic needs, to promoting positive sexual and reproductive health, a cornerstone of adolescent well-being and inclusive economic development.

Education is key to improving young people’s lives and economic opportunities – especially for girls. Our priority is to ensure all boys and girls have access to a decent education and are learning. We focus on basic education, but where country context dictates, we complement this through support to upper secondary, technical and higher education.

Increasing skills among young people will not lead to increased employment unless there are jobs for them to enter - and there is too little productive work for young people in developing countries. Our economic development strategy, therefore, focuses on creating more and better jobs while supporting a skilled and healthy workforce, ensuring that young people both benefit from, and drive, inclusive growth.