I have spent most of this week in New York at the UN's Commission on the Status of Women, talking to parliamentarians from across the globe alongside colleagues from the Women and Equalities Select Committee.
Much of the discussion has centred on the oppression of women in Iran, the appalling gas attacks on schoolgirls, and what further sanctions can be put in place against the regime there. It is an issue I have repeatedly raised with Ministers and on Tuesday night we heard direct from Lord Ahmad, the FCDO Minister for the region.
Whilst there was a great deal of focus on the key theme of the Commission, using technology to advance the education and empowerment of women and girls, there were also side events about sexual violence in conflict, obviously with specific reference to Ukraine. Lord Ahmad and I also discussed the education of girls in Afghanistan - and it really does feel, the week of International Women's Day, that we still have a great deal of work to do globally before the rights of women are respected.
