Press release
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee leads Ireland’s delegation at the UN Commission on the Status of Women in New York
Published on
Last updated on
Published on
Last updated on
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee yesterday (Tuesday) led Ireland’s delegation at the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in New York, and last night (Tuesday) delivered the national statement on achieving gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls in efforts to address poverty.
The Minister is in New York for the week representing the Irish Government for St Patrick’s Day.
Speaking after the major UN event, Minister McEntee said:
“It was an honour to address the 68th Commission on the Status of Women to outline Ireland’s commitment in joining the international community in ‘reaching the furthest behind, first’. This means women and girls experiencing poverty must be at the centre of our efforts in promoting human rights and in furthering sustainable development.
"In my speech, I outlined my ongoing work to address domestic, sexual and gender-based violence in Ireland through the Zero Tolerance strategy. I want Ireland to be world leading in our approach to tackling DSGBV because if we do not ensure women are safe and feel safe in their homes, in their workplaces and in our communities, progress in the many other important areas will count for nothing.
"I also spoke about the women and girls, and all the children, enduring the devastating consequences of violence and conflict – mainly brought about by men. I spoke about the impact on women and girls of the barbaric, illegal and full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia, including the illegal deportation and transfer of thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia and Belarus; the devastating impact on women and girls of Hamas’ brutal attacks, including sexual violence, on 7 October; the thousands, thousands of innocent women and girls killed in Gaza; and those living now in Gaza, living in hell on earth, with some women reportedly being subjected to sexual violence.
"The violence and the sexual violence must end.
"I will reiterate Ireland’s call for the immediate release of all hostages, for an immediate ceasefire, and for continued safe, accessible humanitarian assistance at scale to alleviate the unspeakable suffering. Our shared humanity must prevail.
"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."
The Minister is focused on reaffirming Ireland’s commitment to addressing poverty among women and girls and ensuring that gender equality is mainstreamed across our institutions, for the creation of a safer, fairer and more inclusive Ireland.
Speaking at the CSW, the Minister highlighted the range of progress being made by Ireland including in relation to:
The Minister’s full speech was delivered at 8pm Irish time on Tuesday 12 March 2024 and can be found here: Speech by Minister Helen McEntee at the UN Commission on the Status of Women in New York.