Ireland’s examination by the CEDAW Committee
Published: Friday, June 20, 2025
Ahead of Ireland’s examination by the CEDAW Committee tomorrow (Friday, 20th June), the National Women’s Council (NWC) has called on Committee members to make concrete recommendations to advance women’s rights and equality in its concluding observations and recommendations for Ireland. These should include the introduction of gender quotas for Local Election candidates, the development of a public system of early childhood care and education and the delivery of a mother and baby unit for women with severe and complex mental health difficulties who require in-patient support after giving birth.
The UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) is the core international treaty on the human rights of women and girls. Ireland ratified CEDAW in 1985, committing to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women.
Speaking from Geneva, where a delegation of NWC members presented key findings from NWC’s CEDAW Member Shadow report earlier this week, Kate Mitchell, Head of Policy with the National Women’s Council said,
“The examination of the CEDAW Committee is a crucial international tool to hold the Irish Government accountable for its commitment to advancing women’s rights and equality and eliminate all forms of discrimination against women.
In a changing global environment and a growing backlash and undermining of women’s rights, it is vital that we use this opportunity to identify concrete steps the Irish Government can take right now to demonstrate their leadership and commitment to women’s equality.
Without women’s voices at the decision making tables our democracy remains incomplete. Yet, in Ireland, women remain severely underrepresented in politics, making up 25% of our TDs and 28% of Local Councillors. As the local level is an important entry point for women into politics, NWC wants to see a clear recommendation in the concluding observation to introduce a gender quota of 40% for Local Election candidates.
“We also want to see a clear recommendation to ensure access to affordable, accessible, quality childcare for every child and family. The lack and high cost of childcare remain the biggest barriers to women’s full and equal participation in all aspects of life. NWC is calling for the introduction of a public system of early childhood education and care as the best way to ensure a place for every child and adequate pay and working conditions for the mostly female early years educators.
“NWC is also looking for concrete recommendation in relation to women’s health and in particular women’s mental health. As a priority we want to see the delivery of the Mother and Baby Unit for the small number of women who require in-patient care after giving birth and who are currently being separated from their babies.”
Ireland will be reviewed by the CEDAW Committee tomorrow, 20th June, in Geneva, with concluding observations and recommendations of the Committee expected in July. These will provide a vital roadmap for advancing women's rights and gender equality.
In its CEDAW Shadow Report, NWC has highlighted women’s rights concerns in relation to healthcare and reproductive rights, economic equality, domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, housing, access to justice, political representation, and climate justice. The report shows how existing obstacles are often exacerbated by legislative and policy gaps, weak implementation, and chronic underinvestment in essential services.
Read NWC’s CEDAW Shadow Report 2025 here: https://www.nwci.ie/images/uploads/NWC_CEDAW_Shadow_Report_June_2025.pdf