Pulse.Assent

A Downing Street spokesperson said,

The Prime Minister had a bilateral meeting with the Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness earlier today.

The Prime Minister said Jamaica was a key Commonwealth partner, with over 800,000 members of the Jamaican diaspora residing in the UK and over 200,000 Britons visiting Jamaica each year.

The Prime Minister said she deeply valued the contribution made by the Windrush generation and all Commonwealth citizens who have made a life in the UK, and that the UK Government would ensure the correct support was in place to give people certainty about their existing right to reside here. They looked forward to the meeting later this morning with heads of delegation from Commonwealth Caribbean countries where the matter will be discussed and the Prime Minister will have further opportunity to listen to concerns.

They discussed climate change and migration and agreed that the UK and Jamaica would continue to cooperate closely on disaster preparation ahead of hurricane season, on tackling serious and organised crime, and on healthcare training and education.

They agreed the bilateral trade and investment relationship would continue to grow, with the Prime Minister noting that as we leave the European Union, we are encouraging British businesses to look more widely around the world to identify opportunities to expand and diversify trade. They agreed that economic development and the provision of opportunities for the many young people in the region was key to Caribbean security.

We, the G7 Leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and the European Union, are united in condemning, in the strongest possible terms, the use of chemical weapons in the April 7 attack in Eastern Ghouta, Syria.

We fully support all efforts made by the United States, the United Kingdom and France to degrade the Assad regime’s ability to use chemical weapons and to deter any future use, demonstrated by their action taken on April 13. This response was limited, proportionate and necessary – and taken only after exhausting every possible diplomatic option to uphold the international norm against the use of chemical weapons.

Use of chemical weapons is a breach of the Chemical Weapons Convention and constitutes a threat to international peace and security. The repeated and morally reprehensible use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime in the past has been confirmed by independent international investigators. We condemn this deliberate strategy of terrorizing local populations and forcing them into submission. Syria’s possession of chemical weapons and their means of delivery are illegal under UN Security Council Resolution 2118 and the Chemical Weapons Convention. We stand together against impunity for those who develop or use these weapons, anywhere, anytime, under any circumstances.

We remain committed to a diplomatic solution to the conflict in Syria. We commend and support UN Special Envoy de Mistura’s efforts towards an inclusive and credible political transition in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2254 and the Geneva Communiqué.

Almost one million vulnerable and marginalised girls in developing countries across the Commonwealth will receive the life-changing education they need to become the thinkers and leaders of the future, the Prime Minister announced today (Tuesday 17th April).

130 million girls around the world are missing out on school, and in Sub-Saharan Africa fewer than 1 in 20 poor, rural girls are on track to complete secondary school.

DFID’s Girls Education Challenge will make sure 920,000 girls continue their education through primary, secondary school and training, so they can fulfil their potential to play a transformational role in their communities, economies and political institutions.

Today’s announcement will also give a further 53,000 adolescent girls in developing countries across the Commonwealth, who have never attended or dropped out of school due to poverty, motherhood, disability or conflict, a second chance to learn through catch-up classes and vital skills training.

DFID is also launching a new research partnership with the Malala Fund and the UN Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI) to help governments better harness their own resources to break down barriers to education for the most marginalised girls.

International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt said:

Girls across the Commonwealth have huge potential to be the world’s next generation of problem-solvers, innovators and leaders.

But too many girls are still missing out on school. That’s why the UK is working with our Commonwealth partners to make sure that every girl receives the life-changing quality education they need to achieve their full potential.

Getting girls into school, and then into good employment, allows them to play a transformational role lifting their communities out of poverty, growing their economies and shaping the future of their countries.

The Girls Education Challenge is making it easier and safer for girls to get to school, training and equipping good quality teaching staff, and working with communities and families to raise awareness of the vital importance of educating girls.

Through its new Policy Lab, the UK is also sharing its world-class education expertise, to support the Commonwealth to work together to deliver for girls.

Notes to editors

DFID is committing £212 million to provide almost one million vulnerable and marginalised girls in developing countries across the Commonwealth with 12 years of quality education so that they can fulfil their potential. The second phase of DFID’s Girls Education Challenge (£212 million) will:

• Ensure 920,000 girls in Commonwealth countries transition through primary and secondary school and training so that they can get good jobs, support themselves and their families, and play a role in the growth of their countries.
• Give 53,000 highly marginalised adolescent girls in Commonwealth countries, who have never attended or dropped out of school as a result of poverty, early marriage and pregnancy, disability or conflict, a second chance to learn literacy, numeracy and other vital life skills.
• Launch a new Policy Lab to bring the UK’s world-class expertise to work in partnership with other countries and help Commonwealth countries deliver for girls – supporting developing countries to ultimately become self-sufficient and provide quality education. This will begin with a pilot of five countries.

DFID is also launching a new research partnership with the Malala Fund and the UN Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI) to help governments better harness their own resources to break down barriers to education for the most marginalised girls so they can progress through primary and secondary education.

Through the first phase of the Girls’ Education Challenge (GEC I) UK aid:

• Supported over a million marginalised girls to get a quality education. Through the second phase of the GEC we will support the vast majority of these girls to continue with their learning through secondary school and training to give them the opportunity to complete a full 12 years of education.
• Benefitted many more girls and communities through 37 different projects in 18 countries across Africa and Asia, many operating in conflict and crisis settings

This is just one part of DFID’s education work. In 2015-2017 DFID supported 7.1 million children to gain a decent education. This included at least 3.3 million girls.