Lord Loomba, during a debate, asked what the UK's Department for International Development is doing to ensure that project 'Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step it Up for Gender Equality' reaches the Commonwealth countries and their citizens.
Speaking about the relation between Commonwealth nations, Lord Loomba described it as a “wealth of things we have in common- things we can all nurture and sustain such as democracy, the rule of law and adherence to the upholding of human rights.
"At a time when there is so much uncertainty in our world, it is comforting to know that there is a group of nations that together can show leadership, express common sense and unite in a sense of purpose that may seem lost in today’s fast-changing world.”
Illustrating women's issues he said,"Women face bias along multiple identity dimensions, including gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and age".
Pointing out there is an estimated 2.4 billion people in the Commonwealth, and nearly half the world’s population are female, Lord Loomba affirmed, "it is not hard to see that addressing many of the issues that females face and supporting women and girls will bring about enormous and beneficial change for all concerned...”
He further said, "If we are truly to make progress, challenge cultural practices and relinquish the chains of male-dominated societies...We need to start at the beginning and ensure that education is key for the new generations; and that women of the future do not face the same issues and limitations that held back their mothers, grandmothers, great-grandmothers and so on, especially violence, subversion and coercion. These issues are extremely important in the context of the sustainable development goals and achieving 50-50 by 2030".
Arguing that UK's aid budget could be better targeted to help Commonwealth countries, especially the 60% of small states, Lord Loomba highlighted that it is important these states are taken care of, for a better and fairer future.
