Empowering youth and women by breaking barriers to inclusive growth: UK statement to the OSCE
Justin Addison (UK Delegation to the OSCE) tells the OSCE Economic and Environmental Committee how the UK is improving women's economic inclusion.
Thank you, Mr Chair.
This topic is of particular importance in our dimension. The UK’s International Development White Paper, released in November, said that all young people, especially women and girls, should have the opportunity to access skills training, contributing to more inclusive growth and prosperity, and tackling outdated gender stereotypes.
Recognising that security concerns are a top barrier to digital inclusion, particularly for women and girls, the UK is a member of the Global Partnership for Action on Gender Based Online Abuse and Harassment, which brings together countries – many of which are represented in this room – international organizations, civil society, and the private sector to better address Tech-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence.
The concept note is quite right to highlight the effect of Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine. There, conscription, displacement, family separation and the disruption of essential services has increased women’s domestic and caring responsibilities, limiting their ability to work and access livelihood opportunities. At the Ukraine Recovery Conference all parties stressed the crucial role the economic empowerment of women could play in supporting an inclusive an even recovery for Ukraine.
As the concept note also states, Artificial Intelligence (AI) will cause a shift in the skills we need to perform jobs of the future. We need to invest in inclusion in the sectors that will harness the power of AI. While there have been significant strides in increasing female representation in Science Technology Engineering Math (STEM), there is still much work to be done. For example, just 16.5% of engineers in the UK are women. In the UK, for girls and women aged 16 and older, we’ve developed the Apprenticeships Diversity Champions Network to offers practical advice on how to attract more women into STEM roles.
Finally, on entrepreneurship, the UK’s Women-led high-growth enterprise Taskforce was formed in 2022 but last month reported on the main barriers for women in starting and scaling high-growth enterprises. For each of the barriers identified, the Taskforce recommended potential opportunities to break them down. These opportunities are split into three main sections: first, on the difference in the funding female and male-led businesses receive; second, on providing the current generation of female entrepreneurs and their successors with the tools they need to succeed; and third, on ongoing monitoring and putting processes in place to specifically highlight barriers to female entrepreneurship.
Similar findings are likely to be found across the OSCE region, and the recommendations can be applied in your local context. I would urge all delegates to share the report with your colleagues and use it to inform your own policies.
Thank you.