Malaria affects over half the world's population, with a child dying every minute from the disease. In the worst-affected countries malaria has a devastating impact on health systems and economies. When faced with these stark facts it can often seem like there's no hope.

But amongst the gloom there are...

A fortnight ago I announced that the UK, through the Department for International Development, would throw its weight behind the global movement to finally bring an end Female Genital Cutting (FGC). Momentum is building and I firmly believe we have a chance to end the practice within...

It's my last day at the 57th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, and I've started the day speaking at a breakfast reception for Afghan women.

Under the Taleban, Afghan women suffered some of the worst oppression in the world. To this day the situation remains challenging....

I want to end female genital mutilation (or cutting), I want to see it happen within a generation, and I've just been with hundreds of people who share this ambition, including the first lady of Burkina Faso and the women's minister of Niger. The annual meeting of the UN Commission...

I've finally arrived in New York for the annual meeting of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) - one of the big annual events in my diary and one that Justine Greening and I have been working hard on for months.

So far I'm overwhelmed by...

Today I met a future doctor, accountant and engineer. They were all 13 year old girls. The aspirations of these Ethiopian girls is heartening. The engineer says she wants to train to help "build up her country". I wouldn't bet against her doing just that. And the UK Department for...

There is money in the air in Mozambique. The deputy prime minister Nick Clegg and I have just watched Nilza and Herculano transfer 100 meticais (about two pounds) via mobile phone. They may both be standing in front of us for this demonstration, but in a country where less than...

Why in this present day does female genital mutilation or cutting (FGC) continue? For far too long it has been an issue that people have tended to shy away from, and in my view, neglected.

But we can no longer shy away. What FGC actually entails is...

Britain's aid programme is about people, not numbers. But sometimes, the figures are so shocking it is impossible to escape them.

This year marks 10 years since the start of conflict in Darfur and the numbers speak for themselves. During 3,655 days of violence, hundreds of thousands have died, millions...

The coalition government could not change the lives of millions of the poorest people around the world without working with a wide range of talented, inspirational and dedicated charities and NGOs.

This week I invited representatives of 13 of those organisations (full list below) to sit down with me...

We've come a long way in the fight to tackle HIV in developing countries - UK aid is helping to prevent 500,000 new HIV infections by 2015 in women through a range of prevention programmes. But there's still the hurdle of reaching people who are marginalised from the...

Wednesday 28 November, Zambia

Yesterday, on the final day of my visit to Zambia, the Minister of Gender and I launched 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence in Zambia. This is a UN worldwide initiative, running from the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women...

Tuesday 27 November in the Southern province, Zambia

On day two of my visit to Zambia I've been to the Southern province to see some of the vital work being delivered in education, health care, private sector development, social support, and reducing gender-based violence. I wanted to meet...

Monday 26 November in Lusaka, Zambia

My first visit since arriving in Zambia was to a UK aid adolescent girls empowerment programme in one of the poorest neighbourhoods of the capital, Lusaka. This initiative is supporting more than 1,500 of the most vulnerable girls, providing safe spaces and...

Sunday 25 November is the UN day for eliminating violence against women, which I'm marking with my first ever visit to Zambia. Physical and sexual abuse of women is a global scourge, that transcends borders. From the UK, where one in four women will be the victim of...

I will never forget seeing a very short but very powerful film featuring a young girl being assailed with hundreds of images of physical perfection. As she stands, overwhelmed by idealised bodies and perfectly constructed faces, the tag line appears on the screen: talk to your daughter before the beauty...