Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to implement all of Sustainable Development Goal 5 to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls; and what steps she is taking to meet target 5.2 to eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls.

The UK worked hard to secure a comprehensive standalone goal on gender equality and women and girls’ empowerment in the Global Goals, and to integrate gender equality throughout the remaining goals. The new Global Goals will help us to influence others, achieve even more, and are critical to achieving transformational change to the lives of girls and women across the globe. The UK has put women and girls at the heart of our international development and humanitarian work. The UK is committed to helping 6.5 million more girls to go to school over the next 5 years. This programme of work will include tackling the difficult issues that keep girls out of school like FGM and child marriage.

The UK led efforts across the globe to ensure that a target to end violence against women and girls (VAWG) formed part of the Global Goals. We are now focused on seeing this target implemented. This includes stepping up DFID action to build the evidence base for what works to prevent violence, which will help to convince others that effective action is possible. It also means DFID working with international partners to ensure financial and technical resources are mobilised to tackle VAWG, and working with national and local partners in developing countries to transform social norms to tackle the discriminatory attitudes and behaviours that are the root causes of VAWG.