Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the ambassador and Mr. Archila Peñalosa for their time. They are very welcome and it has been a pleasure to hear from them both. Their statements about providing a future for the youth of Colombia in terms of work, housing and education are very positive and I welcome them wholeheartedly.

On the pausing or pushing back of non-Covid medical care because of the demands Covid placed on the health system and health and medical care for women and children, are there plans to conduct an assessment of the impact of Covid on these services across Colombia? Has an assessment been carried out? What are the plans to address this issue?

I will address Mr. Archila Peñalosa's statement on the local elections. In terms of gender equality and female participation in politics, Colombia has done very well at a national level. I am curious to note that there has not been the same level of progress at a national level. What was the rate of female participation in local elections in terms of the candidature and gender balance of elected representatives?

I refer specifically to an OECD report from 2019 which referred to violence against women candidates and the impact that may have on women seeking a career in politics. The committee has heard substantial reports from various organisations on how countries can emerge from Covid in terms of the societal and political changes that will be needed. Globally, we are now in a place where we need to address the pre-existing disadvantages that women experience in terms of educational attainment, business and economic participation, political representation and activism, both at the national and local levels. I would be grateful if the ambassador would address those points.