Britain's Raab salutes UK-UAE girls' education push

Schooling campaign adopted by UN's Human Rights Council

UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab welcomed support from at least 80 countries for the resolution. Reuters

Britain’s Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has hailed a UN resolution championed by the UK and UAE as an important milestone in securing access to education for girls.

Mr Raab said at least 80 countries were backing the initiative which was adopted by the UN’s Human Rights Council on Monday.

It calls on governments to remove barriers to education, such as child marriage, to ensure girls receive good schooling for at least 12 years.

Mr Raab said the pandemic had set back the cause of educating girls, with 11 million girls at risk of never returning to school.

The resolution was “the first time that at the UN we’ve agreed a document recognising the importance of ensuring access to at least 12 years of quality education for all girls,” he said.

“We all know that educating girls creates empowered women who can lift their communities out of poverty, grow their economies and shape the destinies of their countries,” he said.

“The resolution calls on governments to address and eliminate the barriers that girls face in accessing quality education. For the good of the next generation, it’s time for the world to step up and deliver on girls’ education.”

Schooling for girls is considered a top priority of the UK’s presidency of the G7 this year.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced £430 million ($595m) of new UK funding for educational opportunities on the first day of June’s G7 summit.

But critics say Britain is undermining its pledges by cutting its foreign aid budget from 0.7 to 0.5 per cent of national income.

Former prime minister Theresa May said this week that the cuts would lead to fewer girls being educated.

The aid cuts were approved by MPs in a 333-298 vote in Parliament after the government promised to restore the 0.7 per cent threshold when public finances improve.