00:00Britain has scrapped a flagship £45 million programme aimed at helping 1 million girls across Africa, Asia and the Middle
00:08East gain access to higher education just two years after it was announced.
00:13The Strengthening Higher Education for Female Empowerment programme was designed to expand university opportunities for women and girls, helping delay
00:24child marriage, reduce gender-based violence and improve economic opportunities.
00:30The decision comes despite repeated government pledges to make women and girls a foreign policy priority.
00:36Labour MP Bambos Charolambos described the move as alarming, warning that the aid cuts risk undermining years of progress in
00:45empowering women through education.
00:47Development groups say the cancellation follows a series of cuts to UK-funded education programmes in countries including South Sudan,
00:56the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia.
00:58According to UNICEF, global aid for education is expected to fall by 24 per cent by 2026, putting millions more
01:08children at risk of missing out on school.
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