International Development Outcomes for Women and Girls

Baroness Jenkin of Kennington Excerpts

Thursday 9th July 2026 Grand Committee

[Baroness Jenkin of Kennington (Con)]

My Lords, I thank my noble friend Lady Sugg for this debate and join her in expressing my concern about the impact that reductions in the UK’s ODA will have on women and girls around the world. When aid budgets are reduced, the consequences are not felt equally. Women and girls are almost always the first to lose access to education, healthcare, sexual and reproductive health services, protection from violence and economic opportunities. These are not abstract budget lines; they are the foundations of dignity, security and opportunity.

For decades, the UK has been recognised as a global leader in championing girls’ education, maternal health, ending gender-based violence and supporting women’s rights organisations. That leadership has saved lives, expanded opportunity and strengthened our standing as a trusted international partner. We should be proud of that record. Yet reductions in ODA invariably force difficult choices. Programmes supporting survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, preventing child marriage, improving maternal healthcare and enabling girls to stay in school are often among those scaled back or closed altogether.

Support matters not only because it is the right thing to do, but because investing in women and girls is one of the smartest investments any country can make. When girls complete their education, child marriage declines, maternal and infant mortality falls, household incomes rise and communities become more resilient. When women participate fully in economic and political life, societies are more stable, prosperous and secure.

In 2014, Parliament passed the International Development (Gender Equality) Act, introduced by Sir William Cash as a Private Member’s Bill with cross-party support. That Act requires Ministers, when providing development assistance, to have regard to the desirability of reducing gender inequality and addressing the particular needs of women and girls. That legislation is relevant to today’s debate about whether significant reductions in ODA can be reconciled with the spirit and the purpose of the legislation. Can the Minister therefore explain what assessment has been made of the impact of recent ODA reductions on the Government’s ability to meet the duties and objectives set out in the International Development (Gender Equality) Act 2014?

Our values are measured by not only what we say but where we choose to invest. Supporting women and girls is not an optional extra or a peripheral concern. It is central to poverty reduction, global stability and sustainable development. Even in challenging fiscal circumstances, we must not lose sight of that fundamental truth. I hope the Minister will reaffirm the UK’s commitment to ensuring that women and girls remain at the heart of our international development policy.