National Women’s Council launches new Strategic Plan 2025-2029
Published: Thursday, June 12, 2025
Against the backdrop of a rapidly changing global context for women, the National Women’s Council (NWC) today (12th June) called on the Government to show leadership on women’s rights and equality by committing to concrete actions that will improve women’s lives in Ireland.
Launching its new Strategic Plan 2025-2029 ‘Time to Act for Women’s Rights and Equality’, NWC warned that a growing global backlash against women’s rights is increasingly being felt in Ireland, including growing online hate and misogyny and the spread of far-right discourses and anti-migrant sentiment.
Orla O’Connor, Director of NWC said,
“NWC members are concerned about what we seeing globally in terms of women’s rights. Women and children are bearing the brunt of war and conflict. In Gaza, we are witnessing a genocide taking place before our eyes. As far right discourses gain traction across the world, there is a clear backlash to women’s rights, LGBT+ rights and the rights of other minoritised groups.
“Increasingly, the impact of these changes is also being felt in Ireland. The rise in online hate and misogyny is affecting everyone but is most acutely impacting young men and women.
“There is also a hardening of discourses in relation to migrants and those seeking asylum and refugees. Our members are concerned that there is a shift in relation to how we treat people coming to Ireland seeking international protection and a better future.”
In Ireland, there have been important advances for women’s rights in recent years, such as the establishment of a dedicated violence against women agency, CUAN, and the roll out of the free contraception and free HRT scheme.
But in many areas the pace of change remains painfully slow. Women make up more than half of the population but only represent 25% of our TDS and 26 % of Local Councillors.
Despite an ongoing childcare crisis, there has been no decisive action to move towards a public system of childcare which would provide a place for every child that needs it and also offer adequate pay and working conditions for the many, mostly female early years educators.
Orla O’Connor said,
“Our members want to see the Irish Government show leadership in relation to women’s equality. Women’s rights and equality should never be up for debate but instead be our guide to creating a better Ireland for all. This means prioritising concrete and decisive actions that will make a real difference to women’s lives, such as the delivery of a public system of childcare, the introduction of gender quotas for local election candidates, comprehensive action to combat misogyny and online hate and providing safe and accessible housing and accommodation to everyone who needs it. “
NWC’s new Strategic Plan is based on extensive consultation with NWC’s almost 200 member groups and key stakeholders. The Plan sets out a clear way forward to advancing women’s full equality in all areas of their lives, including economic equality, health, tackling violence against women, leadership and climate justice.
The launch event featured a presentation of the new plan followed by a panel discussion with diverse NWC members chaired by journalist, Aoife Grace Moore.
Read an embargoed copy of the new Strategic Plan 2025-2029 here: https://www.nwci.ie/images/uploads/NWC_2025_Strategic_Plan_FINAL.pdf