Our message to the new UK government

Our message to the new UK government 

It’s been 3 weeks since the Labour Party’s landmark UK election win with Keir Starmer, and his enthusiasm for a ‘national renewal’, now at the helm of steering the country in these unprecedented times. It has been enlightening to see the record gains in women’s political participation with the most female cabinet members in history and women now making up 41 per cent of MPs.  

While the Labour government’s election manifesto had been supportive of feminism and women’s rights; we believe much more can be done to champion a feminist future through the progressive ways we’ve highlighted below. 

We are pleased to see the manifesto highlight the need to return to an aid budget of 0.7 per cent of the UK’s Gross National Income (GNI) and ask that this takes place as soon as possible. The 2020 aid budget cut has had a devastating impact on women’s rights affecting the most marginalised communities in the Global South .  The government should urgently prioritise restoring the aid budget to continue the UK’s progressive work in tackling structural barriers enabling inequality. 

Walk the talk in women’s rights by partnering with civil society 

UK’s civil society has been part of the development process of the Women and Girls Strategy where together with partners we shaped conversations on directly funding women’s rights organisations (WROs) in the Global South. The Labour government should continue this work to explore a transformative funding agenda that  fast-tracks the UK’s support to women’s rights as well as fully involving WROs , recognising their expertise in their contexts, and providing them with quality, flexible funding to pursue their agendas.  

We welcome the rescinding of the controversial Rwanda Asylum law that was a breach to human rights further exacerbating the plight of thousands of women and girls who faced expulsion from the UK. We also welcome the government’s call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. 

In Afghanistan, the Taliban have rolled back women’s rights in every area.  Millions of girls now face violence, trafficking, early forced marriage, denied education and sexual exploitation. The new government should promote women’s leadership and participation by calling for the inclusion of the voices of women activists and human rights defenders who continue to be coopted in the peace-building process.  

End VAWG and champion global economies that work for women 

Womankind alongside various UK women’s rights organisations endorsed the Joint Manifesto on Ending Violence Against Women and Girls (EVAWG) calling for a holistic approach that centres those who need support and protection the most. This approach is anti-racist, intersectional, based on human rights and the principle of non-discrimination, feminist and gendered, survivor centred, and with cross government accountability.  

We call on the government to advance the UK’s renewed commitment to women’s economic rights. The unpaid care work crisis, gender pay gap, unjust global policies on tax and debt, and abuses and violations committed by corporations continue to expose women to poverty and exclude their participation in the global economy. A progressive agenda advancing women’s economic rights features:  

• A ratified and implemented UN Binding Treaty to stop corporate abuse 

• Debt relief and reform of the International Finance Institutions (IFIs) – e.g. reforming World Bank and International Monetary Fund loan conditionalities encouraging States to rely on privatisation of services to meet debt repayments. 

• Publicly owned and run services that meet women’s needs and enable them to choose decent work that fits around their disproportionate care burden. 

To realise gender equality, we need a comprehensive approach guided by feminist principles that address the global systemic inequalities continuing to hold back the progression of women and girls. The new government can contribute to a just and equitable future for women and girls by promoting legislative changes, societal shifts, and international action that ensures a feminist future which prioritises the rights of women and girls in all their diversities.