Continuing to grow the global alliance for women and girls

This blog shares what I’ve been doing since October in my role as UK Special Envoy for Women and Girls to grow the global coalition – both women and male allies – who are committed to women’s equality: equality in political decision-making, equal opportunities in the economy, and ending male violence against women and girls.

Feminist Foreign Policy Conference

The Feminist Foreign Policy Conference is an international summit where countries, including the UK, commit to making women’s rights and participation an integral part of international discussions and decisions. On 22 October, I attended the 4^th Feminist Foreign Policy Conference in Paris, France.

At the Conference, I met Ministers and diplomats who are working together to progress women’s economic opportunities, political participation and safety. Together we are determined to combat growing threats to women’s equality. We are working to find ways to ensure women and girls have equal access to new technologies and online spaces.

Eliminating male violence against women and girls

No woman should be at risk of or live in fear of male violence. Yet it remains a global emergency. On 18 December, the UK Government launched its new strategy to halve violence against women and girls in the UK in a decade. The Foreign Secretary is committed to working with countries around the world as they also strive to tackle violence against women and girls in their respective countries.

I am representing the UK in a new coalition of global champions that are ‘All In’ to eliminate violence against women and girls. The ‘All In’ coalition brings together pioneers from around the world – both government and campaigners – to increase awareness of what works to prevent violence against women and girls, and to build commitment from political leaders to tackle this global crisis.

Afghan women and girls

The message from Afghan women is clear: they have not given up on their struggle for equality – and neither will we. The UK stands firm in demanding their rights and amplifying their voices. In October, alongside UK Special Envoy to Afghanistan, Richard Lindsay, I met with Afghan women from the diaspora to hear their concerns. It was a productive and important discussion on how to support women and girls in Afghanistan as they face appalling restrictions to their rights.

In her speech to mark 25 years of the Women, Peace and Security agenda, the Foreign Secretary reiterated UK support to women peacebuilders, including in Afghanistan. The 25^th anniversary of the Women, Peace and Security UN Security Council resolution reminds us of the crucial role that women must play in peacebuilding and decision-making processes at all levels.

Co-operation with women parliamentarians

The number of women now in governments, parliaments and leadership roles around the world presents us with a new avenue to drive progress on women’s equality. As Special Envoy, I am establishing stronger links with women parliamentarians to help harness this collective power.

Since October, I’ve met with a visiting delegation of the Kenyan Women’s Parliamentary Caucus and signed a joint communique with a visiting delegation of the Nigerian National Assembly and the Pakistan Women’s Parliamentary Caucus. Through these joint statements, we pledged to advance the rights, participation and safety of women and girls in our respective countries. We also agreed to stand in solidarity and sisterhood against the rollback of progress on women’s rights, supporting one another as part of a global alliance of women leaders and their allies.