Speech by Minister Helen McEntee at the UN Commission on the Status of Women in New York

Check against delivery

Ireland aligns with the statement of the European Union.

Chair, Vice-Chairs, distinguished delegates,

I am honoured to address the 68th Commission on the Status of Women.

As an international community, we have committed to reaching the furthest behind first: if we are to fulfil this commitment, women and girls experiencing poverty must be at the centre of our efforts in promoting human rights, and in furthering sustainable development.

I strongly reaffirm Ireland’s commitment to addressing poverty among women and girls and ensuring that gender equality is mainstreamed across our institutions. In our experience progress towards gender equality has been vital to the creation of a fairer, more inclusive and more prosperous society.

Domestically, Ireland is working towards a successor to our National Strategy for Women and Girls. We are also advancing equality budgeting across Government, and participating in an EU Commission flagship project on gender mainstreaming in budget processes. Through this, we will strengthen gender and equality proofing throughout our policy and budgetary cycles.

As the work of this Commission has highlighted, ensuring women’s economic participation is central to addressing poverty and Ireland has taken steps to support women in the workplace. Under Irish law, organisations must report on their gender pay gap and reflect on the drivers behind it and this will be expanded to a wider cohort of employers this year.

Ireland has also expanded family leave entitlements for working parents, and particularly women, with the extension in 2023 of breastfeeding breaks to two years and the introduction of short term leave for parents and carers. From August, all parents of children under two will have nine weeks paid parent’s leave.

Key reforms have also improved the affordability of early learning care and school aged childcare, with an unprecedented 70% increase in funding for this sector to support families.

We have also taken steps to improve social protection. The gender pension gap is amplified by the fact that women remain disproportionately responsible for unpaid care work. Our state pension recognises those who have spent periods outside the workplace for caring purposes. We have also improved recognition for carers, with increases to the maximum rates of Carer’s allowance and Carer’s benefit.

But however much progress is made in all of these areas, the progress will count for nothing, if women don’t feel, and are not actually, SAFE… safe in their homes, safe on the streets, safe in their lives, from Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence.

It’s an issue which is linked to poverty, but one which also crosses all boundaries, both financial and social.

And in Ireland we have prioritised dealing with it. We are one of the first countries to introduce a statutory right to five days, fully paid domestic violence leave. This leave is intended to help those experiencing domestic violence to remain in employment and reach their full potential.

As Minister for Justice, I published and started implementing our all of government plan to tackle Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence. It’s called Zero Tolerance because that is what we must deliver in society. We have increased the maximum prison sentence for assault causing harm, and introduced stand-alone criminal offences for stalking and non-fatal strangulation. As part of our plan, we have established a new statutory agency, Cuan, dedicated to tackling gender-based violence in all its forms.

It’s an agency which we are absolutely determined will work with partners in the sector and across Government to build the supports, the services and the systems that victims and survivors need and deserve.

Because without safety, equality is not possible.

I am thinking today, in particular, of the women and girls, of all the children, enduring the devastating consequences of violence and conflict – mainly brought about by men. The impact on women and girls of the barbaric, illegal and full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia, including the illegal deportation and transfer of thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia and Belarus. The devastating impact on women and girls of Hamas’ brutal attacks, including sexual violence, on Israel on 7 October. The thousands, thousands of innocent women and girls killed in Gaza, and those subjected to sexual violence. Those now in Gaza, living in hell on earth. The violence and the sexual violence must end. Ireland today again calls for the immediate release of all hostages, for an immediate ceasefire, and for continued safe, accessible humanitarian assistance at scale to alleviate the unspeakable suffering. Our shared humanity must prevail. An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.

In conclusion, Chair, Ireland has a deep and abiding commitment to advancing gender equality - – a commitment that we have all made, not least through the Beijing Declaration and the Sustainable Development Goals. As we prepare for the 30th Anniversary of Beijing, we calls on this 68th Commission on the Status of Women to adopt strong and ambitious conclusions – conclusions that reaffirm our shared vision of equality, development, and peace for all women everywhere, in the interest of all humanity, as called for the Beijing Declaration.. We have a shared responsibility to deliver concrete progress for women, in all their diversity.

Thank you.