Dan Neville (Limerick, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the delegates and thank them for their succinct presentation. Although we have heard many presentations on this matter, we have not heretofore been given the same level of information.

I have two questions for the delegates. How committed is the international community, in particular the richer countries such as the United States, Germany, France and Britain, to tackling the issue of gender equality worldwide? Obviously, UN Women has an input in China, an important member of the United Nations. However, we receive very little information on gender status in China. There is much concern about the one child family policy in China. I do not know of any woman who is a senior member of the Communist Party. What involvement does China have in politics and civil society? While we are conscious of what is going on in terms of gender equality in Africa and the Far East, the position in China is, for some of us, a blank spot in this regard. Can the delegates, in particular Ms Menon, cast light on that issue?