The last 3 months has been an important period for consolidating partnerships and building new alliances that will deliver on the Foreign Secretary’s new priority on women and girls. Across my visits and engagements as UK Special Envoy for Women and Girls, it’s evident that women continue to make progress on economic participation, in decision-making and in laws to protect women and girls from male violence.
From the Gulf to Berlin to New York, I have met extraordinary women who are driving progress within their governments, institutions, businesses and communities. I’m encouraged by the growing support by male allies. These women and male allies, alongside the UK, are resisting attempts to roll back this progress. This blog gives an overview of my visits as UK Special Envoy for Women and Girls over the last quarter.
Strengthening partnerships in the Gulf
In January, I travelled to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to see first-hand the significant changes underway in women’s lives across the region. The pace of women’s progress in education, economic participation and in public life has been remarkable.
Saudi Arabia
In Saudi Arabia, I spent time with women business leaders, government representatives, scholars and policymakers who are shaping a new chapter for Saudi women. Conversations with women such as Tuba Terekli highlighted both the enormous strides taken and the persistence and determination required to secure them.
At a British Embassy reception in Riyadh, I heard reflections from Saudi women about the markedly different lives they lead to those of their mothers, and the transformative role of education and the importance of male allyship. I met organisations working on the frontline of women’s rights, including Mawaddah, who support women escaping violence and navigating the justice system.
Afghan women and girls
I met with the International Islamic Fiqh Academy and the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation in Jeddah to discuss their work in opposition to the Taliban’s oppression of women and girls.
Qatar
In Qatar, I met women participating in Qatar’s institutions, from the Qatar Foundation to the Shura Council. We discussed the opportunities that such rapid progress for women brings. We discussed the opportunities afforded by social media, but also the threats that social media pose to women and girls’ safety.
A reception bringing together influential Qatari women was a particularly inspiring moment, demonstrating the strength of peer networks for supporting women in business and leadership roles.
United Arab Emirates (UAE)
In the UAE, I met women leaders shaping governance, technology, diplomacy and business. From conversations with young influencers like Nouf Al Katheeri, to discussions with the UAE General Women’s Union and UN Women offices, I saw the breadth of ambition among Emirati women, and the reforms that have paved the way for their increasing public and economic leadership.
My visit concluded in Dubai with a gathering of women business leaders. We had an open discussion on the opportunities for, and pressures on, women in business and the growing impact of social media.
UK-Germany co-operation on women’s progress and addressing violence against women and girls in Sudan
During my visit to Berlin in February, I had discussions with ministers, diplomats, thinktanks and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) on the important issue of how the UK and Germany can work together for women’s progress towards equality. We discussed the dangerous trends of rollback of women’s rights, and initiated discussions on what it means to be a male ally of women’s advance.
The conflict in Sudan is a war on women’s bodies, with horrific levels of sexual violence, sexual slavery and abductions. In Berlin, I co-hosted an event with the German Federal Foreign Office that invited Sudanese women to relay testimonies of these heinous crimes and to provide their inputs into peacebuilding efforts.
Championing women and girls at the UN’s Commission on the Status of Women, New York
In March, I participated in the 70th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in New York, the UN’s largest global annual gathering on women’s equality. CSW is an essential platform for sharing the UK’s commitment to women’s rights and resisting the rollback of these rights.
I spoke at and attended a series of high‑level engagements focused on ending violence against women and girls, expanding women’s economic opportunities and enhancing women’s political participation.
I launched the global consultation on the Model National Framework for Addressing Non‑Consensual Intimate Image Abuse, a significant step in responding to new, fast‑evolving forms of online violence. I hosted a networking reception, with the British Consulate General New York and Women.NYC, to support women-to-women business and trade between the UK and the US.
I heard directly from Afghan women about the Taliban’s appalling oppression of women and girls and reiterated the UK’s strong condemnation of the Taliban and determination to support Afghan women and girls.
My meetings with UN Women and other envoys for women and girls from around the world reinforced the importance of co-ordinated global action to continue women’s progress and resist rollback.
Looking ahead
Across all these visits, it was evident that, although our journeys may be different, women around the world have, and continue to, make significant progress towards equality. But now, women’s rights are under real threat from globally organised misogynist movements.
The UK will stand firm in championing women and girls, working through multilateral institutions, bilateral partnerships, and international networks to support women’s participation in decision-making, expand women’s economic opportunities, and prevent violence against women and girls.
Misconceptions of women in the Gulf
While in Abu Dhabi, I sat down with Nouf Al Katheeri, UAE-based media presenter, to discuss the myths around women in the Gulf and the significant progress they are making. Here’s a link to that conversation:
