Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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The Generation Equality Forum hosted by the Government of France and convened by UN Women will take place in Paris from 30 June to 2 July. Ireland has engaged closely with the preparatory process, including through my participation at the virtual high-level event hosted by the Government of Mexico in March. 

The Paris Forum will launch a series of ambitious actions to further progress gender equality.  Ireland has actively championed girls' education and gender transformative education in the preparations for Paris. This builds on a 2020 Irish initiative, called the Drive for Five, working with UN Women, the Malala Fund and others.

Ireland will submit a number of commitments under the Generation Equality process, covering both domestic and international policy areas. They will include work to end gender-based violence, to increase access to sexual and reproductive health services, and to increase funding to women’s rights organisations.

A key element of this is the provision of comprehensive sexuality education in and out of schools. My Department will invest at least €1.5 million in comprehensive sexuality education in the next 3 years. In recognition of the transformative role of education for gender equality, I have also pledged €60 million to the Global Partnership for Education over the next five years. €10 million of this is earmarked to the Girls’ Accelerator Mechanism.