President Michael D Higgins has insisted Ireland will promote universal access to reproductive healthcare in its humanitarian work.
In a speech at the World Humanitarian Summit, Mr Higgins insisted the world leaders are not addressing gender inequality appropriately.
He said the summit must be used to galvanise action and achieve transformative change.
The President called on the conference to ensure commitments “constitute much more than compassionate words on a page yet again”.
“We must start our discussions by recognising that we are not doing enough,” he said. “That we cannot achieve our aims from continuing as we are. Matters in their worst aspect are in fact worsening.
“At this moment, rape continues to be persistently used and has increased as a weapon of war; shameful rates of maternal and infant malnutrition persist in many countries; in others, women have no rights or means to control their own fertility.
"The position of women in transit and their acute vulnerability to exploitation and violence, as well as the vulnerability of their children to denial of basic rights to health and education - in Europe and elsewhere - is a cause for the greatest concern."
Marginalised
Mr Higgins said it is not enough to make statements about the need for change. Gender equality is a right, he told the summit, and a healthy society is not achievable if women and girls are marginalised.
“We must recognise, too, the deep, structural problems that underpin gender inequality,” he added.
“We must address the assumptions that have left women insecure and powerless on issues of land ownership and control, access to credit, and access to safe water and fuel, which are associated with women’s vulnerability to violence in so many countries.
“We must recognise that distorted versions of culture are still used to justify the most egregious violations of women’s rights in many regions.”
The summit heard half of 1 per cent of humanitarian funding is being spent on addressing gender-based violence.
Mr Higgins said every nation has a role to play in achieving gender quality.
“Ireland specifically commits to promote the empowered participation of women, in particular in situations of fragility and protracted crises,” he said.
“We will ensure that the promotion of universal access to reproductive healthcare is included in our humanitarian action.
“Ireland will foster systematic learning and capacity through continued active engagement in the Irish Consortium on Gender Based Violence and the Call to Action on Gender Based Violence.”
Mr Higgins said not one minute should be wasted in eradicating violence and insisted Ireland was fully committed to its role in the response.
The President said the summit’s strength lies in unity and social solidarity.
“If we do not seize this opportunity to realise that vision, our commitments here will amount to empty rhetoric, and, dare I say it, an exercise in bad faith.”