CARE is calling on the new Labour Government to commit to putting women at the heart of foreign and development policy.
Our key message is simple: we want the Government to support women leaders and fund gender equality. The first step is committing 20% of the UK aid budget to gender equality projects.
Why should the Government prioritise women?
The next five years will be pivotal for global democracies, particularly in shaping foreign policy and international development. The success of the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals hangs in the balance as the world faces unprecedented economic challenges, conflicts, and the climate crisis. Amid these global shifts, not a single country has achieved full gender equality, with growing anti-gender equality movements rolling back hard-won rights.
Women and girls bear the brunt of these crises:
- 80% of people displaced by climate change are women.
- 84.2 million more women and girls experience food insecurity compared to men.
- In conflict zones, violence against women rises by as much as 200%.
Yet, current global strategies for gender equality are simply not moving fast enough. The UN estimates it will take:
- 286 years to close legal gaps.
- 140 years for women to achieve equal representation in leadership.
- 40 years to achieve gender parity in national parliaments.
At CARE, we refuse to accept this.
The injustice women face
Despite contributing the least to conflicts and crises, women and girls disproportionately suffer the consequences. They also carry out a large amount of unpaid care work, which increases during crises and becomes a barrier to realising their rights and potential. While many women lead in their communities and at the global level, their efforts are undervalued and underfunded.
A chance for change with the new Government
The new Labour Government has stated their intention to be "proudly feminist" in its approach to foreign policy and international development, offering a unique opportunity to reverse the rollback of women's rights and pave the way for a feminist future. But what does a feminist future look like?
A feminist future means creating an environment where women are the active drivers of change, not the passive recipients. For the UK Government to achieve this, it must integrate feminist policies across all areas, recognising and addressing the barriers that limit women's and girls' rights, both at home and abroad.
Why the UK should champion a feminist future
In addition to upholding women's fundamental human rights, working with women leaders can help drive:
- Efficiency: When women are involved in peace processes, the likelihood of long-lasting peace increases by 35%.
- Results: Women-led climate responses result in better preparedness and stronger climate policies.
- Growth: Closing gender gaps in employment could increase global wealth by as much as $160 trillion.
However, the previous Government's UK aid cuts have disproportionately impacted gender equality initiatives. From 2019 to 2021, UK aid spending on gender equality halved, and less than 1% of climate finance from donor governments to climate-impacted countries targets gender equality. This has to change.
CARE's first steps for the new Government
We know the Government can’t end gender equality overnight, but while we work towards the long term goal of a feminist future for all, the Government can take five important first steps:
- Ambitious Aid Targets: We want the government to allocate at least 20% of the UK’s overseas bilateral aid budget - from the UK government to the countries who need it most - to projects with gender equality as the primary goal. We also want to see at least 80% of projects funded by the UK government to have gender equality among their objectives, if not the main one.
- Feminist Climate Response: Establish a flagship UK programme that directly funds women’s rights organisations (WROs) working on climate justice.
- Women Leading in Conflict: Appoint a ministerial position dedicated to leading on Women, Peace, and Security.
- Women’s Economic Justice: Reassert UK leadership in global forums (e.g., G7) to advance women’s economic justice.
- Gender-Equal Parliament: Enact Section 106 of the Equality Act to ensure gender balance in UK Parliament.
Demanding action now
By the new Government committing to embedding gender equality across all its objectives, we can mark a turning point for both the UK and global progress. CARE is ready to support the Government in building a feminist future, connecting UK decision-makers with women’s rights organisations (WROs) and feminist innovators around the world.
Over the next few months, we will be talking to government figures and new MPs, urging them to help create a feminist future where women are not only protected but are the leaders of the global response to the world’s most urgent crises.
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