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Women’s Aid Ireland are in disagreement with Allianz Ireland over who chose to bring an early end to their partnership.
The charity has worked with the European insurance giant in recent years on projects such as ‘The World’s Strongest Women’ campaign.
A further three-year agreement between the two parties, worth E1m, was announced on January 22, 2025 but the Women’s Aid Board indicated that it had decided that should finish at the end of this year, following representations from campaign group ‘Mothers Against Genocide’.
In a letter to ‘Mothers Against Genocide’ the Women’s Aid board said it had reviewed its partnerships and concluded that Allianz Ireland’s “risk profile has changed due to external factors beyond our control.”
It also confirmed that Allianz Ireland would not renew the partnership beyond the current agreement.
Women’s Aid has stated that this decision should not be interpreted as an endorsement of any specific campaign.
However, when contacted by The Irish News, Allianz Ireland said that it had made the call to end its backing of Women’s Aid:
“Allianz Ireland reviewed its community partnership portfolio as part of its new three-year strategic cycle and decided not to renew its partnership with Women’s Aid beyond its current term. Women’s Aid was informed of that decision in June.
“Allianz Ireland is proud to have partnered with Women’s Aid over the past six years as we approach the conclusion of the partnership at the end of this year.
“We value greatly the work Women’s Aid does in listening to, supporting, enabling and empowering women impacted by domestic abuse.”
What is clear is that there was a partnership renewal of three years announced in January 2025, which would have taken that up to early 2028, not the end of this year.
‘Mothers Against Genocide’ commented: “Following sustained engagement, including correspondence, an in-person meeting and our public campaign, Women’s Aid has confirmed that its partnership with Allianz Ireland will conclude at the end of this year.
“The partnership was announced in 2025 as a three-year collaboration, making this a significant change.
“We thank Women’s Aid for engaging with Mothers Against Genocide throughout this process. We appreciated the opportunity to meet with the Board, share our concerns, and be heard.
“In its letter to us, the Women’s Aid Board said it had reviewed its partnerships and concluded that Allianz Ireland’s ”risk profile has changed due to external factors beyond our control.”
“It also confirmed that Allianz Ireland would not renew the partnership beyond the current agreement.
“Women’s Aid has stated that this decision should not be interpreted as an endorsement of any specific campaign. We value the important work Women’s Aid does in supporting women experiencing violence.”
Allianz Ireland has been in the spotlight since last summer due to an ongoing campaign to end its high-profile sponsorship deals with the GAA.
For more than 30 years the National Football and Hurling Leagues have carried the Allianz brand name and it is also one of the three main sponsors of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship in recent seasons.
However, following the publication of an extremely critical report by United Nations Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese in early July 2025, in which the parent company Allianz SE was revealed to be a major purchase of bonds from the Israeli government, the ‘Drop Allianz’ campaign was launched.
More than 800 leading former and current Gaelic Games stars signed a petition calling for the Association to cut ties with Allianz.
Late last year 10 counties – including all six north of the border – passed motions calling for the same action; however, none of those were allowed on the Agenda at the GAA’s Annual Congress in late February.
That two-day event in Croke Park was disrupted by anti-Allianz protestors storming into the meeting and loudly criticising GAA President Jarlath Burns.
Since then, a number of Ulster counties, led by Tyrone, have surveyed their clubs and received unanimous backing for continued calls to end the GAA’s financial links with Allianz Ireland.
A number of Cumann na mBunscol organisers in Ulster have also refused Allianz sponsorship of their primary school GAA events and secured new backers.
