• Powerful report sets out the scale of the challenge of making progress on gender equality in the age of COVID-19

• Recommendations call on G7 Leaders to take concrete steps to build back better for women and girls from the pandemic, and proposes robust monitoring and accountability mechanism to hold G7 governments to account on gender equality commitments and progress

• Specific focus on UK G7 Presidency priorities of education and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), empowerment and ending violence against women and girls

An international expert panel on gender equality has today published its report after a series of discussions on how to create opportunities for women and girls, with a focus on ‘what works’. It expands on the recommendations that the Gender Equality Advisory Council (GEAC) made to G7 Leaders in June 2021 on action to drive forward gender equality.

The GEAC is an independent group of experts convened by Prime Minister Boris Johnson under the UK’s G7 Presidency. The GEAC champions the core principles of freedom, opportunity, individual humanity and dignity for women and girls around the world.

Council Chair Sarah Sands and Nobel peace prize laureate Dr Denis Mukwege presented the Council’s initial recommendations to G7 Leaders at the Summit in Cornwall in June, a number of which were taken forward as commitments in the Carbis Bay Communiqué. This included specific action on girls’ education, addressing the underrepresentation of women in STEM and strengthening the international response to conflict-related sexual violence.

This report builds on the GEAC’s 14 recommendations with additional background, evidence and examples, and a particular focus on ‘what works’ in order to provide governments and organisations with a strong framework on which to build. It also includes draft proposals for an accountability mechanism to monitor G7 commitments to achieve gender equality on an annual basis, in response to an invitation from Leaders at the G7 Summit.

The report highlights the real-world impacts of gender inequality, referring in particular to the situation facing women and girls in Afghanistan, on which the Council published an open letter in August. The report also sets out how GEAC recommendations apply in Cornwall, as the location of this year’s Leaders’ Summit.

In the context of the continued COVID-19 pandemic, the work of the Council and its recommendations were heavily focused on the disproportionate burden faced by women over the last 18 months, and their role in the global economic recovery. The report calls on the G7 to show leadership and demonstrate what can be achieved with effective interventions in justice, education, science, health, the workplace, and our economies.

Chair of the Gender Equality Advisory Council, Sarah Sands, said:

“Our independent-mindedness was matched by a fierce sense of purpose and urgency. We were meeting – virtually – not only in the middle of a pandemic but also with a colossal, economic iceberg ahead of us. Our first imperative was to ensure that women, and particularly women of colour, were not overlooked in the recovery, as they so often were during the pandemic.”

Foreign Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities, Liz Truss, welcomed the report in her capacity as Ministerial lead for the GEAC, saying:

“We need to ensure that women across the world have access to education and employment and are free to live their lives without fear of violence.

“The work of the Gender Equality Advisory Council will help focus minds on the task at hand, providing a base to advance gender equality globally and encapsulating our forward thinking G7 presidency. I look forward to working with Council members as we continue our mission to build back better, not only in this country but across the world.”

GEAC member, Global Economist and Former Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry in Botswana, Bogolo Kenewendo, said:

“The 2021 GEAC has developed a set of recommendations that have relevance in any country’s COVID-19 recovery policies; they are evidence based, practical and measurable.

To that end, the report includes a proposal for a gender equality monitoring and accountability mechanism for the G7. It is important to maintain traction on the key issues of educating girls, empowering women and ending violence against women and girls, and build on progress through future G7 GEACs.”

GEAC member, CEO of the Global Partnership for Education, Alice P. Albright, said:

“One of the core issues raised by the GEAC is a call for 12 years of quality education for all. The G7 has shown unprecedented political will around girls’ education, and this is a powerful first step. If the G7 want to meet their policy priorities – whether around trade, climate change, diplomacy or peace – universal girls’ education is the proven answer. But this means urgently implementing existing targets and commitments, investing greater proportions of aid into global education and making girls’ education a permanent feature of all future G7 presidencies to secure sustainable change.”

Notes to editors:

1. How are women and girls in the G7 and globally affected by the issues that the 2021 GEAC raised as areas for particular attention by G7 Leaders?

2. How has the COVID-19 pandemic changed the way women and girls, and gender equality, are impacted by these issues?

3. How can G7 countries build back better to advance gender equality, based on evidence of what works, and the knowledge and experience of GEAC members?

To support this, each chapter explores the drivers behind each issue, their impact, and evidence-based solutions.

• Members of the 2021 GEAC include world-leading scientists, business leaders, economists, public sector leaders, human rights and democracy advocates and international development experts, from across the G7 countries and beyond.

The government has published the Spending Review, delivering on key commitments to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050, support the jobs and industries of the future and invest in a high-wage, high-skill economy.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) will be at the forefront of delivering these plans, overseeing pay rises for millions working families, creating thousands of jobs and securing the UK’s status as a global science superpower.

The Budget complements the Net Zero Strategy which BEIS published last week and delivers the investment and support which UK firms need to plan for the future.

Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said:

One year ago, this country was in the grip of the biggest recession in 300 years. Thanks to the action we have taken, the UK is recovering faster than our major competitors, more people are in work, and growth is up.

The Budget this week invests in a more innovative, high-skill economy, backs business, helps working families with the cost of living – and levels up every part of the United Kingdom. It is a Budget which provides the foundations for a stronger economy.

We’re leading the UK’s efforts to cut pollution, cement our status as a science superpower, and support business as they create the well-paid, highly-skilled jobs of the future.

Backing business and workers

As we continue to recover from the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the Spending Review includes key measures to put pounds in the pockets of British workers and support businesses looking to invest and grow. These include:

• a National Living Wage increase up to £9.50 an hour to be introduced from April 2022, giving £1,000 pay rise to two million of the lowest paid workers across the UK. The change will make the new National Living Wage rate the highest ever, as significant progress is made towards ending low pay
• the extension of the Recovery Loan Scheme by 6 months – with the scheme having already supported the recovery of UK businesses with over £1 billion of government-backed loans since April
• £1.6 billion of finance for new and growing businesses, to be delivered via the government’s British Business Bank over the next 3 years. This includes £312 million for 33,000 new Start-Up Loans to business owners across the UK and £307 million for businesses in the North, Midlands and South West through expanding the Regional Funds programme. For the first time, this programme will also launch funds in Scotland and Wales and continue to work with the Northern Ireland Executive to maintain the existing fund. The government will also provide £52.5 million for the Regional Angels Programme
• business rates exemption for green property improvements, including solar panels and heat pumps, to help businesses invest to make buildings more energy efficient
• support for the hospitality, retail and leisure sectors, which have been hit hard by the pandemic, with a 50% business rates discount for these sectors capped at a maximum of £110,000. This also applies to high street personal care businesses like hairdressers
• further support for the hospitality sector, especially community pubs, with a simplified alcohol duty that cuts tax for less strong alcoholic drinks such as beers, fruit ciders and weaker wines, a lower rate of duty for draught beer or cider which independent and community pubs depend on for their revenue, and the cancellation of the planned increase in duty for whisky, beer, wine and cider
• support for small producers of alcoholic drinks, with the introduction of a new small producer relief, building on the success of Small Brewers Relief, for cidermakers and other producers of lower ABV drinks including many English winemakers. The government will also end premium tax rates on sparkling wine and substantially reduce duty on rosé, supporting domestic producers of wine as well as retailers of imported prosecco, cava, champagne and other sparkling wines
• the launch of the Help to Grow: Digital scheme in December, providing small businesses with free, impartial online support on how to use digital technology to boost their performance. It will also offer small businesses access to discounts worth up to £5,000 towards the costs of buying approved software. Businesses can now register their interest for the scheme
• to attract investment and jobs, the government will look to make it easier for enterprising companies to relocate to the UK. BEIS will launch a consultation on creating a re-domiciliation regime to bring the UK into line with peers such as New Zealand and Canada, strengthening our position as a global business hub
• the Spending Review continues the government’s investment in Companies House, as part of a long-term plan to strengthen the register of companies. The funding will help improve the accuracy of the register, increasing the confidence of those who use it to make business decisions, while clamping down on fraud through the misuse of corporate entities

Unleashing innovation

The UK is a world leader in science and innovation, and this year’s Spending Review includes commitments which will cement our status as a science superpower. These include:

• £5 billion increase in government investment in research and develop per year by 2024 to 2025 to invest in the science, research and innovation that will deliver economic growth across the UK. The UK will meet its target of investing £22 billion or 2.4% of total GDP in research and innovation by 2026 to 2027
• £354 million for life sciences, including improving our domestic vaccine manufacturing and development capabilities
• £817 million investment in the production and supply chain of electric vehicles in the North East and Midlands
• £24 million to level up manufacturing by helping smaller manufacturers to adopt industrial digital technology through the Made Smarter Adoption scheme
• research and development tax relief for businesses looking to increase investment, with relief expanding to cover cloud computing and data costs, meeting the needs of businesses. This relief will be focussed on domestic investment from April 2023, ensuring that innovation and jobs remain in the UK. There will also be tax relief for cutting-edge research in fields such as genome sequencing, machine learning and data analytics

Investing in new, green industries

The Spending Review supports the landmark Net Zero Strategy unveiled last week, setting out how the UK will kickstart new green industries, create jobs and reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 ahead of the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow. This includes:

• £26 billion of capital investment in delivering the government’s Net Zero Strategy, part of an overall £30 billion worth of investment in the UK’s green industrial revolution – including £3.9 billion to decarbonise homes creating thousands of job opportunities
• up to £380 million for offshore wind infrastructure in coastal areas
• nuclear projects, including a commitment to bring at least one large scale nuclear project to a final investment decision within this parliament and the launch of a £120 million Future Nuclear Enabling Fund. These measures support the Nuclear Energy Financing Bill announced by the Business Secretary on Tuesday 26 October, to attract a wider range of private investment into new nuclear power projects
• two new Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage clusters – HyNet Cluster in the North West of England and North Wales and the East Coast Cluster in Teesside and the Humber – will put our industrial heartlands at the forefront of this technology in the 2020s and revitalise industries in the North Sea. This is backed by £1 billion worth of government support
• £315 million for the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund (IETF), supporting the demonstration and deployment of technologies that enable businesses with high energy use to transition to a low carbon future
• the £140 million Industrial Decarbonisation and Hydrogen Revenue Support (IDHRS) scheme to accelerate hydrogen projects and industry adoption of carbon capture and storage. The IDHRS funding will, combined with the £240 million in the Net Zero Hydrogen Fund, support innovative commercial hydrogen projects across the UK

We thank Special Envoy Pedersen and Emergency Relief Coordinator Griffiths for their briefing today and Ms Albarouki for her statement.

Mr President, the past month has seen a worrying increase in incidents of deadly violence in Syria. In particular, we note with concern the 20 October rocket attack on residential areas of Ariha city, southern Idlib by regime forces which reportedly killed 13 people, including several schoolchildren, and wounded 30 others. The UK notes with concern the bomb attack on a military bus in Damascus on the same day, which reportedly led to the death of 14 people. The UK condemns both these attacks.

We reiterate our condemnation of any and all acts of terrorism committed wherever, whenever and by whomsoever, and reaffirm our demand that all parties in Syria immediately cease any attacks against civilians and civilian objects, and any indiscriminate use of weapons. We express our condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims of these and other attacks and wish the injured a speedy and full recovery.

Against the background of this apparent steady increase in the level and nature of violence in Syria, we last month expressed hope for substantive progress on the resolution 2254 political process, particularly in the 6th round of Constitutional Committee talks this month. We thank Special Envoy Pedersen for his tireless work in facilitating the talks in Geneva. After 2 years of meetings, there were some signs of limited progress. But we share the disappointment that despite Special Envoy Pedersen’s efforts, the parties failed to reach consensus on next steps, including drafting a new constitution or agreeing a date for the next round of talks, and in this sense fell short. We hope to see genuine preparation on the constitutional reform process soon.

A political solution pursuant to resolution 2254 remains the only clear path out of the conflict in Syria. In the absence of substantive progress towards a sustainable end to the conflict, the UK reaffirms its position that we will not provide funding for reconstruction.

In the meantime, the UK remains committed to doing what it can to alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people. This includes restricting the resources available to those seeking to perpetuate or profit from the conflict, and to provide what assistance we can to Syrians facing one of the direst humanitarian situations in the world.

Since the beginning of the conflict, the UK has committed over $5 billion in humanitarian aid to Syrians. In 2020-2021 alone, the UK has provided over $2 million dollars’ worth of food, clean water, medical consultations, education, and over 200,000 vaccines. Helping the most vulnerable in Syria using every possible route remains a priority. Recent cross-line missions have demonstrated the challenges of securing consistent and safe cross-line `id access into north west Syria, and so cross-border aid delivery remains the most effective and safest means of delivery. We welcome the development of a six month plan for a cross-line assistance to explore in more detail the potential for increased cross-line access. We extend our thanks to partners including Turkey. Without their collaboration, cross-line pilot missions could not have taken place.

Mr President, in addition to providing direct lifesaving assistance, the UK recognises the importance of humanitarian assistance providing sustainable solutions to meet people’s needs, through strengthening resilience, restoring capacity, and catalysing recovery from a crisis. This is otherwise known as “early recovery”. To date in Syria, the UK’s early recovery work has included cash assistance to vulnerable households, inputs for agricultural and livestock production, and basic housing repair support among others. In north east Syria the UK has supported over 5,500 people with cash-for-work interventions, and over 53,000 people through business development interventions.

Mr President, we regret that until the Syrian regime puts the Syrian people ahead of its own survival and genuinely commits to making progress on the political process endorsed by this Council in resolution 2254, this support will never be enough. We once again urge them to work in good faith with the UN and the Special Envoy to create a truly sustainable peaceful future for Syria and Syrians.

Thank you Madam President and thank you to our briefers USG Lacroix, Special Envoy and His Excellency Thabo Mebki for your insightful updates and reflections, as well as your combined efforts over the past six months to support peace and UN peacekeepers in the region.

Madam President, firstly the United Kingdom joins fellow Council members in condemning the actions of the Sudanese Military this week to detain civilian members of government and dissolve transitional institutions. We call on the military to course correct and release those detained as well as to refrain from violence allow peaceful protest.

The UK welcomes the decision of the African Union this morning which sends a strong message that the Sudanese military cannot subvert Sudan’s democratic transition without consequence.

The United Kingdom is further concerned at the impact these events may have on the situation in Abyei and the already difficult operating circumstances for UNISFA.

This Council has repeatedly welcomed the recent rapprochement between the Governments of Sudan and South Sudan. This welcome shift in bilaterals relations has led to the temporary reopening of border crossing corridors and establishment of free trade zones along the border. We hope that despite the unilateral acts by the Sudanese military in Khartoum, this cooperation will continue.

More broadly while the United Kingdom welcomes efforts to strengthen bilateral relations, it is regrettable that renewed engagement has not translated into tangible improvements in Abyei, where ordinary citizens continue to suffer. We urge both countries to work together to reach a resolution on the final status of Abyei.

Madam President, the United Kingdom remains deeply concerned by the situation in Gok Machar and repeat our condolences at the death of a UNISFA peacekeeper last month.

The members of this Council delivered a unified message on 15 October, reiterating their full support for UNISFA and demanding that the Government of South Sudan facilitate the unimpeded implementation of UNISFA’s mandate.

The situation in Gok Machar is another example of the operational challenges UNISFA continues to face in fulfilling its mandate.

There has been limited progress made on the Council’s repeated requests to facilitate the operationalisation of Antony Airstrip, the issuing of outstanding visa requests, and the appointment of a civilian deputy Head of Mission.
We reiterate our call for both parties to address these longstanding limitations, particularly as we consider the reconfiguration of the peacekeeping Mission in Abyei.

In that regard Mr President, the United Kingdom takes note of the options for reconfiguration proposed in the Secretary-General’s strategic review of UNIFSA.

We commend the men and women of UNISFA for their ongoing efforts to address the evolving security challenges, including the facilitation of community dialogue and local peacebuilding and women’s empowerment initiatives.

The United Kingdom would also like to commend the dedication of Ethiopian peacekeepers in their support to peace and security in Abyei throughout the last decade. It is our sincere hope that the interests of the people of Abyei remain at the forefront of decision-making on the future configuration of UNISFA.

We also call for regional tensions to be resolved through dialogue, and encourage regional partners as well as the UN to ensure current disputes do not damage the effectiveness of UNISFA.

Finally, the United Kingdom urges all parties to fully respect International Humanitarian Law and allow humanitarian actors to deliver aid to those in need in all parts of Abyei, without hindrance.

Thank you Madam President.