Source · Select Committees · International Development Committee
Recommendation 11
11
Acknowledged
Paragraph: 63
In the current global climate, the need to ‘put the last first’ is perhaps even...
Recommendation
In the current global climate, the need to ‘put the last first’ is perhaps even greater than it was at the gavelling of the Sustainable Development Goals. The UK Government can help catalyse global action, reinstate UK leadership, and ensure coherence with domestic strategy, by creating a deliberate and dedicated Leave no one behind portfolio within FCDO, to put the furthest behind first. Such a commitment would be a timely, and impactful announcement at the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development Voluntary National Review session in July 2023, demonstrating the power of a UK Government ‘promise’.
Government Response Summary
The government stated its commitment to the SDGs and the Leave No One Behind agenda through the International Development Strategy, focusing on women and girls and humanitarian prevention and response. It outlined a three-pronged approach: understanding who is left behind through data, empowering the marginalized, and ensuring programmes are inclusive.
Paragraph Reference:
63
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
Leave No One Behind is the central, transformative promise of Agenda 2030. The Government is committed to the SDGs and the Leave No One Behind agenda through the International Development Strategy. Our focus within the IDS on women and girls and humanitarian prevention and response helps us to meet the needs of some of the most at-risk people in the world. The FCDO has a three-pronged approach to Leave No One Behind: We want to understand who is being left behind. For this it is essential to have reliable data and evidence. The FCDO signed up to the Inclusive Data Charter at UNGA 2020 and is committed to developing an Inclusive Data Charter Action Plan to implement this, to embed a culture within the FCDO of disaggregated and inclusive data. We want to empower the most marginalised. The FCDO is committed to listening and responding to the voices of those left furthest behind, empowering them as leaders and decision makers to make sure that their needs and priorities are met. Our new Disability Capacity Building Programme supports Organisations of Persons with Disabilities to advocate for their right to access health care systems, social protection, employment and education. We are committed to including people who are furthest behind in development and growth processes, as well as delivering targeted programmes and services to people who are particularly hard to reach. A sustainable path toward ending extreme poverty and promoting shared prosperity involves creating an inclusive society not only in terms of economic security but also in relation to the voice and agency of all people and groups. The FCDO has also published an ambitious Disability Inclusion and Rights Strategy 2022 to 2030 with far-reaching commitments to guide FCDO investments and policy. This year we will publish an updated International Women and Girls Strategy, explaining how we will put women and girls at the heart of what we do. Our new FCDO strategy on Disability Inclusion and Rights retains our previous international priority areas, such as in inclusive education and economic development, and expands to include global health and climate action. It emphasises the participation of people with disabilities in the design and implementation of our work and enhancements in data disaggregated to enable improved understanding of how far people with disabilities are being reached by our programming. It also promotes improved internal FCDO capability on disability issues. Our disability inclusion team are working with policy leads across the FCDO to support the implementation of the commitments. We monitor the delivery of our strategy through progress indicators such as the OECD DAC marker for disability and report every six months to an external board.