§ 24 Helen JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps she is taking to ensure that the needs of women are met by development programmes. [34652]
§ Clare ShortAs is made clear in the White Paper on International Development, the overwhelming majority of the poor of the world are women and children. Sustainable development is impossible without educating girls and empowering women. We are actively involved in the implementation of the Platform for Action agreed at the 1996 Beijing Conference on Women and are pursuing a twin-track approach, addressing gender inequalities as an integral part of all our development activities, as well as continuing to support specific and focused initiatives178W to enhance women's empowerment, both in our own programmes and in our support to relevant national and multilateral organisations.