I am honoured to join you today as the United Kingdom’s new Foreign Secretary.
And to be here too, alongside the UK’s trailblazing Special Envoy for Women and Girls, Baroness Harriet Harman, who gave me one of my first jobs in politics more than 30 years ago, including research on women’s equality, not long before the Beijing Declaration was adopted.
I remember at that time just how significant it felt to see countries coming together, from across the globe, committed to advancing women’s equality and women’s rights.
So it is particularly special to be here three decades on to discuss an issue that has been so close to my heart since, and to be clear that this will be a priority for me now, in this role.
Supporting women across the globe, on leadership, on representation, on access to education and economic opportunity.
An agenda set by women, and supported by male allies, who are vital partners for progress.
But I particularly want to draw attention to the topic of Violence Against Women and Girls.
Because we know that safety and security are the bedrock on which all opportunities in our lives are built. Women’s safety is an essential foundation for women’s equality.
And while individual nations and UN agencies have helped to achieve great strides forward, with FGM and forced marriage less prevalent than they were three decades ago.
The facts should still shame us all.
Across the globe, 1 in 3 women will be beaten or sexually assaulted in their lifetime.
140 women and girls are killed every day by a partner or close relative.
And rape and sexual violence continue to be used as a weapon of war.
My Government has described violence against women and girls in the UK as a national emergency, and we have set out an unprecedented mission to halve it in a decade.
But the truth is that this is an international emergency too.
So today I make two calls for action.
First, that we step up our efforts to eliminate violence against women and girls, because everyone has the right to live in freedom from fear.
Including challenging new forms of abuse and collaborating against devastating sexual abuse of children online.
And second, we must ensure that the multilateral system remains a powerful force for the rights and equality of women and girls everywhere because we know that by doing so, we also strengthen our families, our communities, our economies and our nations too.
