Meeting of the Parliament 19 June 2025
Today, the Scottish Government published its first annual statement following recommendations from the National Advisory Council on Women and Girls. The statement describes the actions that the Government has taken to improve the lives of women and girls and towards gender equality.
There remains much to do to tackle the challenges, barriers and dangers that women and girls still face, but the Scottish Government is committed to accelerating equality. At the end of this afternoon’s debate, my hope is that members will recognise the range of positive measures that we have taken towards gender equality in Scotland, many of which would not have been possible without the cross-party support of members across the Parliament.
The United Nations sustainable development goals tell us that
“Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world.”
Reflecting that, equality for women and girls is a priority for the Scottish Government and is at the heart of our vision for a fair and prosperous Scotland.
The National Advisory Council on Women and Girls was established in 2018 to advise Government and others on what more we need to do to achieve gender equality. It made recommendations to the Scottish Government, which we accepted and are implementing. Latterly, it has focused on accountability and has been scrutinising how we are delivering on its recommendations.
The publication of today’s annual statement is a recommendation of the council that is intended to support greater accountability. I extend my thanks to the council and to the empowering women’s panel for their work to scrutinise our progress.
I am pleased to discuss the range of important work that this Government is taking forward, but it remains clear that there is much more to do, and we are determined to deliver for women and girls and to address inequality wherever it arises.
In 2021, we published our first women’s health plan, and we are currently working on the next phase, which we intend to publish later this year. Our first plan led to the appointment of Scotland’s first women’s health champion, a new women’s health platform on NHS Inform, the development of new endometriosis care pathways, greater choice and access to contraceptives for women at community pharmacies, and the creation of specialist menopause services in every mainland health board.