Doherty, MeghanNational Steering Committee2018-03-092018-03-092018-03-09http://hdl.handle.net/10147/622883Five strategies have been identified as being essential to addressing FGM in Ireland and in other countries through Irish development policies. These strategies build upon best practice experiences which combine top-down policy and legislative measures with bottom-up community development approaches to maximise impact5 • Actions flow from the following strategy headings which act to progress the goa·ls of the plan: Legal • Asylum • Health • Community • Development Aid This first Plan of Action is set out over a period of three years 2008-2011. It is important to note that addressing FGM in Ireland will be new to many of the sectors and agencies involved. As such, the Plan of Action is intended to build the capacity of all actors in this area and to lay the foundation for future plans of action. We must begin at the beginning and be realistic about what is achievable in the next three years. For this reason, the objectives and actions may be considered elementary compared to other countries and there are agencies and actions that have not yet been included. This is not because they do not have a role to play in addressing FGM but because the capacity is not yet there to deliver on more complex actions. It is envisaged that an interdepartmental working group will act as monitor and evaluator of the progress made. An agency such as Cose, the National Office for the Prevention of Domestic, Sexual and Genderbased Violence, supported by the Department of Health would be well placed to coordinate the Plan of Action. Case's mandate is described as "a dedicated Government office with the key responsibility to ensure the delivery of a well co-ordinated "whole of Government" response to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence." At the end of the three years an assessment of the progress ma.rle will enable the second plan of action to build upon the successes of the first.enFEMALE GENITAL MUTILATIONWOMEN'S HEALTHReport