Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats)
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220. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade whether he plans to increase funding to support women's organisations and women’s health organisations globally in line with commitments in the Programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20290/25]

Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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The Government remains firmly committed to Ireland’s international development assistance programme, and to the priority of reaching the furthest behind first.

Gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls is a key priority for Ireland’s foreign policy, and for our international development policy, as set out in A Better World. We recognise that gender equality is both a fundamental human right, and a necessary condition for sustainable development.

Ireland recognises the central role of women-led organisations in advancing equality globally. In A Better World, the Government committed to increasing funding for women’s organisations, channeled through support to UN agencies and NGOs, but also in targeted partnerships. Last year, Ireland launched two new partnerships worth €1 million each, to support local women’s organisations to access resources. The partnership with the Global Alliance for Green and Gender Action supports women’s organisations' engagement on climate justice and adaptation, while the Urgent Action Fund partnership provides rapid response grants to women human rights defenders and LGBTQI+ groups in crisis contexts.

Our commitment to supporting women’s organisations globally also extends to women’s health organisations and to improving the quality and availability of health services with a focus on women and girls. Access to maternal health and comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care is fundamental to transforming women's health outcomes. In 2023, we announced a €25 million, three-year initiative on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, to consolidate Ireland’s long-standing support for measures to tackle sexual and gender-based violence, improve maternal health, and end the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The initiative also commits to scaling-up action to reduce unmet need for contraception among adolescent and young women, including in humanitarian crises.

We are firmly committed to promoting gender equality and women’s health, and will continue to support women’s organisations as part of Ireland’s international development priorities.