UK Special Envoy for Women and Girls

Keir Starmer has appointed Baroness Harriet Harman as the Prime Minister’s Adviser on Women and Girls, an unpaid part‑time role reporting directly to him. She will work across government to strengthen policies and culture affecting women and girls, especially tackling violence, improving economic opportunity, and increasing representation in public life. Harman will also help drive cultural change in the Civil Service and ministerial offices.

Her appointment builds on her long record advocating for women’s rights, including leading the government effort that produced the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act and establishing specialist domestic violence courts. The government frames this role as part of its wider commitment to addressing what it has declared a national emergency of violence against women and girls, with a strategy aiming to halve such crimes within a decade.

The UK Special Envoy for Women and Girls will play an important role, alongside the Foreign Secretary and Minister for International Development, for progressing the UK’s foreign policy and international development objectives on women and girls.   

The Special Envoy will:

• consolidate a powerful and diverse network of women leaders committed to addressing major global challenges, including the rollback of women’s and girls’ rights and stalled progress on global gender and education goals

• use domestic and international engagement to advocate for greater representation of women in public life, share insights from the UK’s own experience, learn from others, and strengthen the network of women already operating in political systems

• use this network to amplify the UK’s leadership and grow and diversify the coalition of like-minded and middle-ground partners to advance women’s and girls’ rights, empowerment, safety, education, and equal opportunities

• undertake visits, attend international events and hold high-level bilateral meetings with international partners

The UK Special Envoy reports to the Foreign Secretary and the Minister for Development.

(Government Press Release)