Women and girls around the world need help from the UK – not just words of encouragement
IIt is no exaggeration to say that the government’s draconian aid cuts are coming at the worst possible time for women and girls around the world.
Conflict is on the rise as the aid sector grapples with Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) allocations, with women and girls bearing the brunt. The International Development Committee recently heard that Sudan is “hell on earth” for women and girls; The UN found that conflict-related sexual violence will increase by 87 percent between 2022 and 2024.
In this context, the UN’s Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda helps protect women and girls caught in the chaos of war, recognizing that women’s equal participation is essential for sustainable peace.
The good news here is that the UK has historically played a leading role as a supporter of the WPS agenda. We were one of the first countries to implement the National Action Plan (NAP) and continue to have the responsibility of being the pen-holder of the WPS and convener of the UN Security Council.
Unfortunately, not everyone could stay on this path. In recent years we have seen a global anti-gender movement and a decline in the rights of women and girls. But while the Trump administration did not prioritize the Pentagon’s WPS program last year, Britain has thankfully shown no signs of similar withdrawal.
“The UK remains committed to advancing the Women, Peace and Security agenda globally,” the UK Ambassador to the General Assembly told the UN Security Council last year.
International Development Minister Jenny Chapman echoed this; Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper said last year that she had put tackling violence against women and girls “at the heart of our foreign policy”. The end of 2025 also saw the publication of the government’s strategy to combat violence against women and girls (VAWG); The Minister for Protection declared that “it is up to all of us to end violence against women and girls”.
But it is becoming increasingly difficult to reconcile the encouraging rhetoric we hear on this side of the pond with the reality on the ground. As the latest report of the International Development Committee makes clear, the full picture is that our commitments to the WPS agenda on the international stage have not been fulfilled.
As President of the UN Security Council earlier this year, the UK did not convene a single special session on WPS and the government failed to deliver on NAP policy commitments on the inclusion of women, girls and excluded groups. This work has already been hampered by cuts to development and gender expertise at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and the situation looks set to get worse with the department’s door still open to further reductions.
Worse, the draconian aid cuts we have seen from successive governments are already set to greatly impact many programs and initiatives targeting women and girls. Programs to combat domestic violence, access to contraception and the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative launched by former foreign secretary William Hague and Angelina Jolie are at risk.
As a result of cuts in the first round of ODA from 0.7 per cent to 0.5 per cent of Gross National Income (GNI), an estimated 20 million women and girls will no longer benefit from UK-funded programmes. But as we learn the details of the latest benefit cuts of up to 0.3 per cent of GDP, the full impact on women and girls is yet to emerge.
If the UK is truly committed to advancing the WPS agenda globally, we need to show it. After talking the talk, it’s time to walk the walk, and IDC’s report reveals where we should start.
In short, we need to see ministers backing up their rhetoric with concrete actions and adequate funding. The UK should use its influence on the international stage to strengthen implementation of the WPS agenda. At the same time, the FCDO must commit to maintaining development and gender experts with vital connections around the world.
In an environment where conflict is on the rise around the world and women and girls often bear the brunt, advancing the WPS agenda could not be more critical. If we shift gears now, we can fill the rapidly emerging gap in WPS leadership. If we continue to stand still, we risk failing to make the right voices in support of women and girls, while hard-won gains will be lost and gender equality will become a footnote in UK diplomacy.
Sarah Champion is chair of the House of Commons International Development Committee and Labor MP for Rotherham.
This article was produced as part of The Independent. Rethinking Global Aid project
