Seán Canney TD, Minister of State for International and Road Transport, Logistics, Rail and Ports and Leader in Cabinet of the Independent Ministers, has welcomed the publication of the first Action Plan under the National Strategy for Women and Girls 2025–2030.

The National Strategy for Women and Girls is a whole-of-Government plan which aims to level the playing field for women and girls of all ages and backgrounds by eliminating all forms of discrimination against them.

The first Action Plan, covering the period 2026–2028, outlines how the commitments in the Strategy will be delivered. It identifies the Government Departments and agencies responsible for implementation and establishes mechanisms to track progress over the coming years.

Some of the key commitments in the Action Plan include:

  • Further initiatives to increase the number of women in local politics, including rolling out the Regional Women’s Caucus Network across all local authorities and launching a new political participation campaign.
  • Introducing a Parents Leave Pay Related Benefit.
  • Reviewing the circular on school uniforms to consider affordability, comfort and sustainability.
  • Providing new training for early years educators and school-age childcare practitioners to promote equality of opportunity for girls in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM).
  • Developing effective, impactful and evidence-led public awareness campaigns aimed at preventing and reducing domestic, sexual and gender-based violence.

Alongside the publication of the Action Plan, a new €1 million funding call has also been announced to support organisations in helping women overcome barriers to employment, strengthen skills development and increase participation in the workforce. Further details of the funding call, including application details, will be announced in the coming weeks.

Other commitments in the first Action Plan include:

  • Developing a multi-media recruitment campaign specifically targeting women for the Defence Forces.
  • Publishing recruitment campaigns targeting women in An Garda Síochána and the Irish Fire Service.
  • Reviewing flexible working provisions under the Work Life Balance Act.
  • Commissioning research on reducing people’s exposure to violent and extreme pornography.
  • Supporting initiatives such as #AndSheCycles to encourage cycling, walking and other forms of active travel by women and girls.
  • Developing legislative proposals to introduce pregnancy loss leave for those who experience pregnancy loss before 23 weeks’ gestation.
  • Increasing the visibility of women role models in sport, including coaches, coach developers and technical officials.
  • Increasing the availability of community-based social care supports to help older women living alone remain in their own homes.
  • Implementing the Gender Balance on Listed Corporate Boards Regulations, requiring relevant companies to have 40% of non-executive directors from the underrepresented sex.

Welcoming the publication, Minister Canney said: “The publication of this first Action Plan is an important milestone in advancing equality for women and girls. It sets out clear actions across Government to remove barriers, increase opportunities and ensure women and girls can participate fully in every aspect of society.”