Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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744. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the measures being taken at a national and an EU level to address the persecution of women and the abuse of female human rights across the world; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1783/15]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Ireland has a strong track record in addressing gender equality through its foreign policy and development cooperation programme, and remains fully committed to combating all forms of discrimination and violence against women and girls.

As a member of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) for the term 2013-2015, Ireland has prioritised efforts to combat all forms of discrimination and promote gender equality. At the HRC, Ireland has actively participated in the negotiations of, and co-sponsored, resolutions on the elimination of discrimination against women; violence against women; female genital mutilation (FGM); preventable maternal mortality and morbidity; realising the equal enjoyment of the right to education by every girl; and strengthening efforts to prevent and eliminate child, early and forced marriage.

The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a unique peer review mechanism whereby the human rights records of individual states are reviewed in the UN Human Rights Council. Ireland is an active participant in the UPR, and regularly raises concerns in relation to the promotion of women’s rights and equality.

The protection and fulfilment of women’s human rights is also a priority for Ireland at the UN Third Committee, which deals with social, humanitarian and human rights issues. At the Third Committee, Ireland has led negotiations for the EU on resolutions on women human rights defenders, and on trafficking in women and girls.

As part of our commitment to advancing gender equality, Ireland played a key role in the establishment of UN Women, and is an active participant in the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), which is the principal global policy-making body on gender equality and the advancement of women. Ireland presented its candidature in November 2014 to one of the seats on the CSW for the term 2018 – 2022. If elected, this will be the first time that Ireland has served on the Commission, and will enhance our commitment to the promotion of gender equality.

Ireland has also been a strong advocate of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security and has taken a leadership role in the international arena calling on other states to commit to implementation of this resolution. The resolution calls for an increase in the participation of women in peacemaking and peacebuilding processes; the protection of women and girls in armed conflict; and the incorporation of a gender perspective into peacekeeping and peacebuilding processes. In 2011 Ireland adopted its first National Action Plan on the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1325 for 2011-2014. This Plan has been recognised as a model of best practice internationally in terms of civil society involvement in drafting and monitoring.

Today, I was very pleased to launch Ireland’s second National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (2015-2018). The Plan outlines the steps Ireland will take in order to ameliorate the unique adverse effect of conflict on women and girls, and to increase the empowerment and participation of women in decision-making in conflict and post-conflict situations.

Gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls are priorities in our official development assistance programme. All recipients of Irish Aid funding are required to demonstrate their commitment to these goals. Both bilaterally in our engagement with partner countries, and at the UN and in other multilateral bodies, we consistently emphasise the importance of gender mainstreaming as a key aspect of ending poverty, hunger, discrimination and vulnerability across the globe.

Currently, the final phase of the post-2015 negotiations on a new framework for global development is getting underway at the United Nations. Those negotiations will produce a set of Sustainable Development Goals which are expected not only to continue the effort to eliminate extreme poverty but also address areas of climate, governance, consumption and production and economic growth and be universally applicable to all countries. Ireland has been consistent in the post-2015 negotiations to date on the need for a strong goal on gender equality and women's empowerment, as well as effective mainstreaming across all other goals, targets and indicators. Such a goal would reflect the renewed commitment to fulfilling our obligations to dismantle the structural underpinnings of gender inequality, transform gender relations and effect positive change in the lives of all women and girls. We are also prioritising an end to gender-based violence, which remains the most pervasive yet least recognized human rights abuse in the world.

In 2008, the EU adopted guidelines on violence against women and girls and combating all forms of discrimination against them. The EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy was adopted in 2012 and states that the protection of the rights of women and protection against gender-based violence is a clear priority for the EU. The EU also regularly raises abuse of the rights of women in human rights dialogues with third countries and gives support to civil society initiatives which tackle gender-based violence and feminicide.

I can assure the Deputy that Ireland will continue to advocate for the respect, protection and fulfilment of women’s human rights worldwide.