The Sustainable Development Goals, and in particular Goal 3 to Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages, are very pertinent to the work of my Department and will be incorporated into the Statement of Strategy 2020-2025. As is captured by the SDG Policy Map in the National Implementation Plan 2018-2020, the goals are are implemented through multiple existing policies such as:
- Sláintecare;
- Healthy Ireland;
- The National Maternity Strategy;
- The National Sexual Health Strategy;
- Ireland's National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance;
- The National Cancer Strategy;
- The National Physical Activity Plan;
- The National Suicide Prevention Strategy - Connecting for Life;
- Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery – a health led response to drug and alcohol use in Ireland; and
- Tobacco Free Ireland.
In an effort to avoid duplication of effort the attainment of the various SDGs are therefore monitored through the existing reporting and governance mechanisms of these policies. Centrally the Central Statistics Office have published ‘Irelands UN SDGs 2019 – Report on Indicators for Goal 3 Good Health and Well-being'. This report is part of a series of CSO publications which will monitor how Ireland is progressing towards meeting its targets under the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The report shows progress on all 27 indicators that are monitored under SDG 3 and can be found at: www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-sdg3/irelandsunsdgs2019-reportonindicatorsforgoal3goodhealthandwell-being/.