Justine Greening called for more women to get involved in politics at a panel at the Southbank Centre’s Women of the World Festival on Friday 11 March.
The International Development Secretary was joined by President of Malta Marie Louise Coleiro Preca, Liberal Democrat MP Jo Swinson and Commonwealth Secretary General Baroness Scotland.
As part of the panel Greening also discussed the Department for International Development’s work on FGM and child marriage following the Girl Summit in 2014. She praised the work of media organisations like the Evening Standard and Guardian in bringing these issues into the public eye.
Speaking at the Overseas Development Institute earlier this week, Justine Greening said: We need women to be equally represented in parliaments around the world.
In Somalia, where only 14% of MPs are women, in Sierra Leone, where just over 12% are women, but also in Japan, where only 9% are women. And in Britain where it’s still only 30% despite the big progress that we have seen made. So we need around 130 more women MPs here in Britain to be equal in parliament. Let’s find those 130 more women.
And my message to women in Britain is: if you’re a great, capable woman then run, run for parliament, run for local government, run for being a police and crime commissioner. If you know a great, capable woman then ask her to run.
