Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: 18th Civil Society Forum – 17 January

Date: 17 January 2020

Time: 9.00am to 4.30pm (Registration begins at 8.30am)

Venue: Royal College of Physicians, 6 Kildare Street, Dublin 2 (venue is wheelchair accessible)

The 18th annual Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Civil Society Forum takes place on Friday 17th January 2020. This year our event is dedicated to “Beijing+25: Taking Stock of Progress on Gender Equality".

Almost 25 years ago, in 1995, the Fourth UN World Conference on Women adopted the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, an agenda for women's empowerment, which remains the global blueprint for advancing equality for women and girls. Twenty-five years on, we have many achievements to celebrate but nevertheless challenges remain and in recent times we have started to see a pushback against the gains made in the intervening period. As we get ready to celebrate the silver anniversary of the Beijing Declaration, in three sessions the civil society forum will look back to the past, evaluate the present and think about the future challenges that await. To get our day off to a great start, the key note speaker will be former Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, and current European Union Special Representative for Human Rights, Eamon Gilmore.

Programme

• 9.00am to 9.45 am - Welcoming remarks & Key note address

• 9.45am to 11.15am- Session 1: The road to the Beijing Declaration; a look back at the Fourth World Conference on Women

• Coffee Break

• 11.30 am to 1.00pm - Session 2: 25 years on from Beijing+25, what are the achievements in the fight for the empowerment of women and girls, and what challenges remain?

• Lunch

• 2.15pm to 3.45pm - Session 3: Looking to Beijing+50, how to accelerate implementation of the Platform for Action and the realisation of gender equality?

• 3.45pm to 4.30pm - Closing remarks

Follow the @HumanRightsIRL Twitter for updates on the programme, speakers and other information.

Information

Please contact the organisers at civilsocietyforum@dfa.ie to advise of accessibility or sign language interpretation requests in advance of the Forum or alternatively include this information during checkout.

Tea, coffee and a light lunch will be provided for participants. If you have special dietary requirements, please contact the organisers in advance at civilsocietyforum@dfa.ie

Registration will close in advance of the event, so register today to secure your place!