The Prime Minister’s Special Envoy on Girls’ Education, Helen Grant, visited Nepal this month to meet activists, advocates and campaigners who, with UK support, have championed the rights of women and girls on education and climate change.

Her visit follows the Government of Nepal’s announcement to boost spending on education by over 50%, following the UK-hosted Global Education Summit in July, which will improve equality and standards in access to education.

In Nepal, girls still too often drop out of education to marry young. Married girls are eleven times more likely to be out of school than unmarried peers, with marriage the second most common reason for adolescent girl school dropout.

Commenting on her visit, Helen Grant said:

“Our Leave No Girl Behind campaign isn’t just a meme, a hashtag, or a vague aspiration. It’s a cast iron commitment.

“In Nepal, we’ll continue to work with all spheres of government, with civil society, and with others in the international community, until that commitment is met.”

In addition, nearly two-thirds of the population in Nepal work in the climate-vulnerable agriculture sector, most of them women. Nepal is the fourth highest climate-risk country in the world with annual warming in the Himalayan region twice the global average.

Mrs Grant travelled to some of the areas in the country most badly struck by COVID19. She saw first-hand how UK-supported programmes have helped 86% of girls to improve their learning, understanding and performance in literacy and numeracy.