Government launches Ireland’s National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security
Government launches Ireland’s National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security at The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Conference: ‘Representing the Global Island’
This plan, which runs from 2015 to 2018, has an increased focus on the empowerment and participation of women in conflict-resolution and peace-building.
Speaking ahead of the launch, Minister Flanagan said:
“Conflict and war has a particularly horrific impact on women and girls and that reality is often obscured from the public consciousness. This Government attaches a high priority to gender equality policy and this new National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security renews our commitment to tackling the dire impact of conflict on women and girls, and promoting the importance of women participating in decision-making in conflict and post-conflict situations.
“The plan sets out how Ireland will continue to implement these objectives, as set out by the United Nations, in our programme for international development, in our work on peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland, and in our policy-making and advocacy work.
“I welcome the successful implementation of our first National Action Plan, which ran from 2011-2014, as noted by an independent evaluation.”
Minister for Development, Trade Promotion and North South Co-operation, Sean Sherlock, TD, said:
“Ireland has played a key role in the Women, Peace and Security agenda. This plan will ensure that gender equality and women’s empowerment remain at the core of Ireland’s engagement in overseas humanitarian and development assistance, peace-keeping, governance, and post-conflict activities.
“It also bolsters Ireland’s ongoing work in preventing and responding to gender-based violence, which is a key priority of Ireland’s programme for overseas development, Irish Aid.”
The action plan is designed to:
Strengthen women’s leadership and participation in decision-making in conflict and post-conflict situations;
Ensure that a gender perspective is incorporated into Ireland’s engagement in overseas humanitarian and development aid, peace-keeping, governance, post-conflict activities and interventions;
Bolster Ireland’s ongoing work on protection from and prevention of gender-based violence (GBV);
Leverage Ireland’s participation in global and regional fora to champion the implementation of the Women, Peace and Security resolutions.
Strengthen the monitoring and evaluation structures on the implementation of the National Action Plan.
This will include actions by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Department of Justice and Equality, the Department of Defence, the Defence Forces, An Garda Síochána, the Health Services Executive, and Tusla (the Child and Family agency).
The National Action Plan was launched at Representing the Global Island, a conference convened by Minister Flanagan, which brought together more than 90 Irish Ambassadors, Consuls General and senior diplomats with the Taoiseach, Tánaiste, Government Ministers, as well as representatives of Irish companies, other Government departments, the State Agencies, third level institutions and the creative sectors.
Earlier, the Conference was addressed by high level speakers including EU High Representative, Ms Federica Mogherini; the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Climate Change, Mary Robinson; and the UN Secretary-General's Special Adviser on Post-2015 Development Planning, Amina Mohammed.