Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

That was most interesting. Members and witnesses will be aware of Ireland's participation in the third national action plan on women, peace and security. In fact, this committee has a direct role in monitoring and engagement. The first report of the oversight group was received by the committee last year. We understand work is under way on the second report and it will be lodged with us as soon as it has been completed.

Senator Wilson has departed. Last week he had the opportunity of attending the UN Security Council and seeing at first hand the leadership being employed by Ireland at that level and indeed the great privilege it has been for Ireland to join the council yet again. I acknowledge the work of our team, especially, Ms Geraldine Byrne Nason, who, for many years and in various roles in the Department, has been most active in highlighting the need to ensure a greater level of equality, and empowering women and girls. We saw first-hand last week the leadership position she has taken in that regard.

Turning to Ms Ryan and Mr. Sadlier in particular, Ms Ryan mentioned some parts of the world where there are acute challenges and where Ireland, through our NGOs and especially through the leadership of Irish Aid, is assisting in ensuring the changing of attitudes and moving away from what often is a real barrier, in the form of traditional regulation and attitudes. We can oversee regulatory change in many countries across the world but regulatory change alone will not change attitudes. Perhaps our guests will give us their experience, particularly of the current crisis in Afghanistan and the seriously adverse and disadvantaged position within which women and girls find themselves on a daily basis with reference to education and work. I ask them to also outline the position regarding the dangers in that country of a proliferation of GBV. An issue this committee has looked at not in recent times but in the past is the scourge of FGM. Have our guests seen, in the context of their work in recent years, an improvement in the situation in the sense of a changing of attitudes that would lead them to believe firm progress is being made? Ireland took part in the Generation Equality Forum last year. Is it too early to evaluate our takeaways from the participation or how our participation might best ensure a greater level of success or a greater level of surmounting what would appear to be serious barriers in the form of attitude, traditions and laws in many countries across the world?