merrion street

Minister of State Kathleen Lynch TD continues her participation at the 57th

meeting of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) with a range of

events taking place to mark International Women’s Day, the global

celebration which is now over 100 years old.

She expects to have an opportunity to engage with UN Secretary General Ban

Ki Moon at a lunch for Women Ambassadors to mark the Day. The lunch,

being hosted by the Permanent Representative of Morocco to the United

Nations, during which discussion will again focus on the key topic for this

year’s meeting of CSW - violence against women - and the work being done

globally by UN Women and UN countries to address this criminal behaviour.

Yesterday, in her tight schedule, Minister Lynch joined Michelle Bachelet,

the UN Deputy Secretary General and Director of UN Women at a seminar

event, organised by the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts

which focused on preparing young people to deter and address violence. The

Minister spoke of the plans to strengthen the Irish school curriculum in

relationships education to deter violence.

Later in the day, she took part in a particularly well received seminar

event sponsored by Irish Aid at which she endorsed the fact that violence

against women is a global challenge, affecting a third of all women.

Speaking of the Irish context she pointed out that

In 2011, the Women’s Aid telephone helpline received almost 13,000 calls to

report incidents of domestic violence. Almost one quarter of the

perpetrators of sexual violence against women in Ireland is intimate

partners or ex-partners. Clearly there is no place for complacency on this

issue in Ireland or in any country in the world.

She also met with a small group of Irish based NGOs who are attending this

meeting of CSW and discussed the good practices they had identified through

their participation in the wide range of activities which form part of this

marathon event for women worldwide.

On a lighter side, the Minister was delighted to attend the launch of the

new UN Women song “One Woman” which was launched to profile the excellent

work of the UN’s key institution which works to advance gender equality in

all corners of the globe.

Minister Lynch expressed the hope that the women of Ireland would download

the song, in order to make it a best seller while also supporting the

excellent work of UN Women. It can be downloaded at

http://song.unwomen.org

UN Women Director and former President of Chile Michelle Bachelet pointed

out that

“One Woman” gives us a message of hope and inspiration. This song carries

a message of unity and solidarity with women world wide and reminds us that

equality, human rights and human dignity are the birthright of all of us,

every human being.

International Women’s Day

8 March 2013

ENDS

Note to Editors

The Commission on the Status of Women is the U.N.’s principal global policy

making body on gender equality and the advancement of women.

Each annual CSW adopts a priority theme and a review theme for

consideration based on the 1995 Beijing Programme for Action on advancing

women’s rights. This year’s priority theme is on elimination and prevention

of all forms of violence against women and a girl which has a universal

resonance.

The new UNWomen song and video is available to download at

http://song.unwomen.org