Ukraine

Lord Loomba Excerpts

Friday 31st October 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Loomba (CB)]

My Lords, I draw attention to the continued plight of Ukrainian women who have lost their husbands in the ongoing conflict. Many of these widows are facing immense emotional, physical and financial hardship while striving to provide stability and hope for their children amid the devastation of war. Behind every life lost on the battlefield or in bombardment stands a bereaved family—a widow left to rebuild her life and protect her children in circumstances few of us can truly imagine.

When the conflict escalated in 2023, the United Kingdom showed great compassion by opening its doors to families fleeing the violence. I declare an interest and acknowledge the valuable role played by the Loomba Foundation, in association with Barnardo’s, which provided direct financial support to 1,000 Ukrainian families during that difficult time. That partnership demonstrated how civil society, when working alongside government, can offer practical and immediate relief to those most in need.

However, the scale of suffering among Ukrainian widows continues to grow. While the exact numbers are difficult to verify amid the chaos of war, reports from Ukraine indicate that tens of thousands of women have lost their husbands since the invasion began, many of them young mothers now raising children alone. The burden they carry extends far beyond financial strain. They face deep emotional trauma, loss of identity, and the daunting challenge of navigating a shattered economy and disrupted services.

Through my work with the Loomba Foundation over many years, I have witnessed how conflict affects women left behind. From south Asia to sub-Saharan Africa the story is tragically similar. Widows often become invisible victims of war, excluded from social support, denied opportunities for work and stigmatised by cultural attitude. Without targeted assistance, their children risk falling into cycles of poverty and insecurity that can persist for generations.

In Ukraine today, many widows lack access to counselling, information and even basic income support. Those displaced within Ukraine and across borders are particularly vulnerable, often unaware of what help is available. It is therefore essential that both international and domestic sponsors recognise the specific needs of these women and their children. I ask the Minister to inform the House how many Ukrainian families have so far been allowed to come and settle in the United Kingdom under the various visas and sponsorship schemes. Further, what specific support has been provided to them through access to social security, healthcare and education for their children?

Finally, I urge the Government to continue working closely with the Government of Ukraine and charitable organisations to ensure that widows and their families, both in Ukraine and here in the UK, receive the long-term emotional, financial and practical support they so desperately need. By helping them rebuild their lives, we not only uphold our humanitarian obligations but contribute to the future resilience and recovery of a nation that continues to fight courageously for freedom.

King’s Speech

Lord Loomba Excerpts

Thursday 25th July 2024 Lords Chamber

[Lord Loomba (CB)]

My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Anderson, for introducing today’s important debate on the humble Address. I congratulate His Majesty’s Government on their commitment to engage with the international community and to secure the UK’s reputation as a reliable partner in creating a secure, peaceful and sustainable world. If we are to contribute towards peace and sustainability, we must work with partners to deliver the United Nations sustainable development goals, including those on global poverty and gender equality. It is encouraging to note the Foreign Secretary’s commitment to engaging with the global South in his first statement.

One of the most effective ways that we can make a difference is to align our world-leading expertise in research with our policy goals. I highlight the plight of widows, who are among the poorest of the poor, particularly in south Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and South America, with appalling consequences for the women affected and for their children. This is driving deprivation for multiple generations. When you think of the estimates of more than 300 million widows, 500 million children and millions of their dependants, the number comes close to a billion people who are affected globally. Given the continuing dependence on male breadwinners, this issue represents the most significant threat to gender equality for most women in developing countries.

The Loomba Foundation—here I declare my interest —has sought to address this through education and empowerment programmes and by launching International Widows Day to bring this issue to the attention of the international community. Recently, we commissioned researchers at the University of Cambridge to evaluate the progress of International Widows Day since 2005, when it was launched by the Loomba Foundation, and since 2010, when it was officially adopted by the UN General Assembly.

The report, which is due to be published immediately after the Summer Recess, concludes that, while International Widows Day has brought the topic into the open, the scale of injustice is still growing, fed by conflict, disease, natural disasters and climate change. The continuing absence of reliable country-by-country data is a barrier to making progress. The sustainable development goals, the report concludes, will remain out of reach until we can develop evidence-based policy to tackle this huge issue.

What is urgently needed is a systematic approach to researching the conditions of widowhood worldwide. The Loomba Foundation is working with partners to support the development of a co-ordinated research programme, including at the 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations next March. My request to the Minister is for the Government to support British NGOs in our efforts to empower unfortunate and marginalised widows around the world who are suffering from poverty, illiteracy, disease, conflict and injustice.