UNA-UK is calling on its members and supporters to get behind a Private Members' Bill currently making its way through Parliament, which seeks to tackle the issue of gender inequality.
Citing UN Millennium Development Goal 3 – focussed on gender equality and the empowerment of women – the aim of the Bill is to embed gender considerations in every aspect of the UK’s overseas development and humanitarian work, and to ensure consistent monitoring of the impact of UK aid spending on gender inequality.
The International Development (Gender Equality) Bill proposes the following:
- It places a duty on the UK Secretary of State for International Development to consider gender in the disbursement of any development and humanitarian assistance
- It also introduces an additional duty to report annually on those activities undertaken to tackle gender inequality
The Bill is due to be debated in the House of Commons next week after which, if given broad cross-party support, it should pass through to the House of Lords and become law.
Click here for a short briefing on the Bill.
Update:
UNA-UK is pleased to confirm that the House of Commons voted unanimously in favour of the International Development (Gender Equality) Bill, which has now proceeded through to the House of Lords and is likely to pass into law.
During the debate, Alan Duncan MP, Minister of State for the Department for International Development said:
I believe that the Bill can have a lasting impact on generations of girls and women around the world... It is a matter of basic human rights—the right of girls and women to live a life free of violence, to have an education and a voice in their community, to choose who to marry and when, and to have control over their bodies.
Thank you to all our members and supporters who took the time to take part in our action. Over 150 of you took the time to write to their MPs on this critical issue.
Photo: UN Photo/John Isaac. Girls reading in Karachi, Pakistan.
