New Delhi: The UK will send two female governors to the World Bank Group and IMF Annual Meetings for the first time, marking a significant move towards gender equality. UK Development Minister Anneliese Dodds will use the platform to announce new funding and reaffirm the UK’s commitment to advancing gender equality on the global stage, a press release revealed.
Dodds will announce a £7.5 million investment over the next two years in the World Bank’s Umbrella Facility for Gender Equality (UFGE), demonstrating the UK’s dedication to supporting women’s economic and social empowerment. The funding will support the facility’s work in generating data and evidence to address gender inequality, with a focus on expanding its reach from Africa into Asia and the Pacific.
The UFGE, which has received UK funding since 2012, has already made a significant impact, the release said. In Rwanda, the program has helped half a million women secure land rights, while in Nigeria, it informed the expansion of a national livelihoods program that now covers over 4 million vulnerable households, it added.
The World Bank Group and IMF Annual Meetings, taking place in Washington D.C. this week, mark a significant occasion for international development cooperation. Finance and development ministers from around the world will gather to discuss and formulate joint approaches to pressing global challenges.