Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 24 February 2022
280. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of engagements, including online meetings, webinars, briefings and in-person meetings he or officials from his Department have had with the National Women’s Council of Ireland from 1 January 2019 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10577/22]
View answerThe Department of Foreign Affairs has engaged with the National Women’s Council of Ireland (NWCI) on a number of occasions from 1 January 2019 to date. The Department of Foreign Affairs’ Reconciliation Fund has provided support to the NWCI through two grants, totalling €45,321, awarded in 2021 to support the establishment of their All-island Women’s Forum. Officials have had routine telephone and email contact with the NWCI during 2021 and 2022 in the context of these grants and the roll-out of the All-island Women’s Forum. Officials joined a meeting by video call between the NWCI and the Department of the Taoiseach’s Shared Island Unit on 9 July 2021 to discuss the All-island Women’s Forum. The Minister for Foreign Affairs provided a short video message of support for broadcast at the first in-person meeting of the All-island Women’s Forum, which took place in Enniskillen on 17 February 2022; this event was also attended by two Department officials. NWCI is a member of the Implementation Group for Ireland’s National Plan on Business and Human Rights, and was represented at meetings of the Group on 16 January 2019; 29 January 2020; and 30 March 2021. The Implementation Group, established to oversee the implementation of the National Plan on Business and Human Rights, was appointed by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, and the secretariat of the Group is provided by the Department of Foreign Affairs in cooperation with other relevant government departments.NWCI is a member of the DFA Committee on Human Rights, and attended Committee meetings on 16 October 2019 and 21 July 2020. This DFA Committee on Human Rights was established in 1997 to provide a framework for a regular exchange of views between the Department of Foreign Affairs and representatives of the NGO community, as well as civil society more generally. NWCI is represented on the Steering Committee for the National Strategy for Women and Girls, which is led by D/CEDIY and which the Department of Foreign Affairs attends. NWCI and DFA would have participated in meetings of this Steering Committee on 5 February 2019, 11 June 2019, 7 November 2019, 13 May 2020, 9 December 2020, 15 April 2021, 13 July 2021, and 2 November 2021. On 23 November 2021, Department officials had a (virtual) meeting with NWCI to discuss “NWCI’s work and future plans”. On 18 March 2021, NWCI Director Orla O’Connor participated in a panel discussion at a (virtual) webinar organised by the Department on ‘Women in Politics: Overcoming the Gender Barriers’; this was a side event at the 65th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women.
