Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what commitments they have made in relation to the Madrid Joint Political Declaration on Building Peaceful and Democratic Societies, signed on June 3, 2026; and what progress has been made in delivering said commitments.

The priorities in the Madrid Joint Political Declaration closely correspond with the UK's
international approach on women and girls. This is reflected in the International Strategic Framework on Women and Girls, which guides UK action to advance women's safety, voice, choice and economic empowerment globally.

The UK has continued to deliver these priorities. We have established the International Coalition to End Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), with Spain as a founding member, bringing together partners to strengthen global action. We continue to support women's participation in peacebuilding and conflict resolution and the prevention of conflict-related sexual violence, alongside refreshing the UK's Women, Peace and Security National Action Plan. The UK has also committed £254 million to expand access to family planning and maternal healthcare. In July, the UK signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Gender Equality with Spain to deepen cooperation on violence against women and girls and women's leadership.

The FCDO assessed the impact of its funding allocations through an Equalities Impact Assessment for 2026/27 - 2028/2029 ODA allocations and concluded that spending decisions across multilateral and central programmes do not cause disproportionate negative equalities impacts.

We have further protected central programme spending on: ending VAWG; preventing sexual violence in conflict; Women, Peace and Security (WPS); and funding for Education Cannot Wait.