A day for celebrating progress in the great strides made for girls and women, but also underlining the clear and urgent need to do more. We have made strong progress delivering results for girls and women as part of
the UK’s international development work. As a result of UK support, last year over 2.5 million girls took their first steps into primary school, with a quarter of a million making the crucial transition to secondary school. We helped nearly three quarters of a million women access financial services; secured property and land rights for nearly a quarter of a million women and supported 1 million additional women to use modern methods of family planning. But there is much more to do. It is simply unacceptable that around the world
one in three girls and women will be raped or beaten in their lifetime. Dfid is also developing an ambitious new programme to combat Female Genital Mutilation, alongside new programmes responding to the specific needs of women and girls in current emergencies in DRC, and for Syrian refugees.
Finally, the UK will be funding the Leadership for Change Programme that will support the leadership skills and opportunities of a network of girls and women in a number of countries. We are also taking the lead role in building the critical evidence base on what works to enable girls and women access and control economic resources in sub-Saharan Africa.
International Women’s Day is just the start of a series of opportunities we have to show international leadership on these issues that affect women throughout the world.
