By Denise Charlton, Chief Executive
The organisers of the first International Women’s Day in 1911 invited people to replace a world of bias, stereotypes and discrimination with a world that is diverse, equitable and inclusive.
Well over a century later it is unfortunately a rallying call which is as relevant now as it was when first made well over a century ago.
Over the time there has been victories and indeed there has been points which are worth celebrating – but it is also true that today there are powerful actors at play seeking not only to halt further progress but to undo and dismantle what has been achieved.
At Community Foundation Ireland together with our philanthropists, donors and supporters we are working with voluntary, community and charitable partners to not only defend our achievements but also to notch up new ones to deliver true equality.
Women and girls are this year rallying around the theme Accelerate Action.
The theme is informed by the predictions of the World Economic Forum that at current rates of progress gender parity will not be reached until 2158.
Think about that.
Our daughters, our granddaughters, our great granddaughters and their daughters again are all being told you must wait for equality. If the Economic Forum’s predictions are correct then it will take five-generations before our daughters will enjoy the same benefits and opportunities as our sons.
The message we are sending today is that we will not wait.
This is why we must accelerate action.
We must increase momentum and urgency to address the systemic barriers and biases that women face, both in personal and professional spheres.
We do so knowing that the barriers now include on and offline misogyny by those who wield huge amounts of influence and power.
It is well documented that we live in a time when the owners of the biggest forums on the planet are deliberately and with fore sight seeking to dismantle rather than embrace diversity, equality and inclusion.
For Community Foundation Ireland Accelerate Action means looking at the work we do with our partners to identify those actions which deliver – and exploring how to do them faster and better.
We cannot ignore the online world. It offers us many tools to achieve our goals. It allows us to speak to audiences and allies who otherwise would be hard or impossible to reach. It allows us to plan, to implement and to deliver campaigns for positive action.
However, we also know that just like in the physical world the online space can be an uncomfortable, discriminatory or indeed hateful place for women and girls.
Our partners help put these dangers under the spotlight and are now driving conversations and informing policy to combat those who seek to abuse the power of the internet.
Online awareness campaigns about consent supported by evidence and research have paved the way for conversations in classrooms and workplaces. None of this would be happening without the strategic support of philanthropy.
The need for men in the public eye who enjoy the admiration of boys and younger men to step up and be role models to counteract the Andrew Tates of this world has been highlighted in ground-breaking research on the harms of pornography.
While the new Government together with the opposition are committed to outlaw the practice of online sex for rent advertising again because of the breakthrough work and research made possible by the generosity of our philanthropists.
These are just examples of our work with partners like the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, the Sexual Exploitation Research and Policy Institute, Women’s Aid and the National Women’s Council. There are many more.
What we are achieving online in combatting the most dangerous forms of abuse is also happening on the ground in our communities.
The establishment of Cuan as a national statutory agency to combat domestic, sexual and gender-based violence is a direct result of the work of many of our partners.
The agency is one of the main planks of Zero Tolerance, the current National Action Plan to combat such violence.
Other actions which the Foundation and its partners have helped to deliver include the recognition of prostitution as gender-based-violence, consent classes to be included in all educational curricula and more refuge spaces to ensure no matter where in the country women and children are in danger there is access to a safe place.
These are strategic actions. They are solution focussed. They are intended to have longer term benefits. These are the hall-marks of philanthropy and is what makes our form of giving different to all others.
Our rights to safety. Our rights to feel secure. Our rights to a home free from danger. Each of these is fundamental and are represented in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Being safe, being free from harm is so basic – yet it is denied to so many women and children in our country.
However true equality, true belonging means aspiring for so much more.
The Community Foundation has over the past 25-years formed partnerships which gives us a real-time insight and knowledge into how we as a country and a society are developing that sense of belonging, where everyone is treated fairly and equally.
I am happy to confirm that thanks our donors and supporters there are 140 active grants from the Foundation focussed on advancing the rights of women and girls. From community groups to national organisations we are there at every level advancing this just cause.
We partner with community education groups working to break down barriers to training and education.
All of this work has opened up opportunities and gateways allowing women to break into new and exciting areas of employment.
There are organisations too like WorkEqual which highlights, promotes and supports the contribution of Black African Irish women in wider society as well as in the workplace.
What an inspiring counter-narrative to what we see happening in the wider world as minorities as well as women are seeing their rights dismantled.
The crisis in climate and nature is the biggest challenge in our communities, our country and our planet.
It is the grim backdrop to life. Ever present. Constant and getting worse.
Women are disproportionately impacted by the crisis.
The United Nations recognises climate change as a ‘threat multiplier’ fuelling existing inequalities, divisions and social injustice.
Globally it increases dangers creating conflict and wars.
It threatens agriculture, access to water and those traditional jobs where in many parts of our world women and girls are overly reliant on.
Access to health care for women and girls has been disrupted creating a risk to life.
We cannot and must not stand idly by while this is happening. We have to recognise that this threat is being fuelled by our actions.
The Community Foundation is a proud leader in promoting the Circular Economy where we move to end the throw-away society and in protecting our plants, nature and wildlife through biodiversity actions.
Our partners include inspiring women in research at Trinity College, at Community Law and Mediation which has established Ireland’s first climate justice law centre as well as working with now over 200 communities.
This work I am delighted to say has been acknowledged by another great woman leader, former President and now a global champion on climate Mary Robinson.
In endorsing the work of the Foundation she recognises that philanthropy has an increasingly important role – as male dominated Governments and Business one by one are now shirking their responsibilities.
To bring about real change we of course need women in leadership positions – in the boardroom, in the media and also in the corridors of power.
Working in partnership with Women for Election we are determined to bring about that change – even when there are setbacks.
The under-representation of women in the current cabinet is a retro-grade step.
Will effective change really happen, will policies change or those in place be protected if women are increasingly absent from the cabinet table.
We can draw some comfort that the representation is better on the opposition benches with women in leadership roles as it is also in the Seanad where women politicians account for 40% of seats, as opposed to just 25% in the Dáil.
Next week when Taoiseach Micheál Martin visits Washington he will have by his side Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nasson. Her presence in one of the most senior roles in Irish diplomacy sends its own positive message.
In the public service change is being achieved with women increasingly taken up senior roles in Government Departments – we are fortunate to count on many of them as allies and supporters of our work and our mission.
But there is more work to be done – that is clear and we will continue until there is equal representation and the decisions and policies which impact women are made by women.
I mentioned our 25-years – as a Foundation we are coming of age and doing so at a time when Irish philanthropy itself is at a pivotal moment not just in terms of growth but also in shaping a better society even amidst great challenges.
The internationally recognised Community Foundation model – which is being used by 18-hundred foundations globally – continues to serve us well.
It gives us connectivity to communities, advocates and equality champions. It provides the insights, the evidence and the research to identify emerging issues.
It allows us to convene and come together to share knowledge and experiences so we can identify ways forward.
It reminds us to stay true to our mission to work and build communities where everyone can have a sense of belonging – where everyone is welcome, everyone is safe and everyone is offered opportunity.
We are now using this inflection point, to step into the next 25 years, with the knowledge of the positive impact and change we have supported and use it to inform the issues and actions to deliver a better future, for all.
And we want to take this moment to recognise, acknowledge and thank all those who have supported the Foundation to reach this important milestone.
With expertise and experience, we know our philanthropy continues to be an agent for positive change for all. It is informed, intentional and impactful.
We, as experts, will use the positive force, with the generous support of donors and the expertise of our communities, to be a positive agent of change for all.
We all know the challenging times we are in. Equality is under attack.
However, we have been through challenging times before.
Far from being down-trodden our partners inspire us to Accelerate Action – to move the goal-post so that women and girls will not have to wait five-generations to truly belong and to be treated fairly and equally.
It is a rallying call Community Foundation Ireland is happy to commit too – not just for International Women’s Day – but every-day.
© 2025 Community Foundation Ireland
Company Registration No: 338427 Charity No: CHY 13967 Registered Charity Number (RCN): 20044886
