Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking (a) to mitigate the effects of war on women and children and (b) to safeguard vulnerable people in places of war.

The UK is committed to reducing the disproportional impact of conflict on women and children through championing the crucial role they can play in conflict prevention and resolution, and building on the commitments made through the Call to Action on Protection from Gender-based Violence in Emergencies. The UK is a world leader on Women, Peace and Security (WPS), including at the UN Security Council, and on tackling sexual violence in conflict through the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI). The UK's fourth National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security recognises the specific impacts of conflict on women and girls and outlines the UK's approach to support women and girls to exercise their human rights. For example, in Yemen the UK has supported the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Fund for Population Activities' (UNFPA) Global Programme to End Child Marriage until the end of 2020, providing 5,000 adolescent girls in Yemen, with life skills training and services for psychosocial support. The UK is an active member of the UN Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict, which leads the international response to violations committed against children in conflict.