Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 20 September 2023
48. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications what national commitments he will seek to make at the Sustainable Development Goals Summit; and to detail how civil society groups have been facilitated to participate in the development of these commitments. [40208/23]
View answerThe Taoiseach, Tánaiste and myself are attending the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Summit during which we will re-affirm Ireland’s commitment to Agenda 2030 and the delivery of the SDGs both at home and abroad.
Ireland has been centrally involved in developing and implementing the SDGs which were adopted in 2015. Progress towards achieving them has been set back by the pandemic, the consequences of conflict, including in Ukraine, and by the increasing pace and ferocity of extreme weather events. Ireland will be urging Leaders to make maximum use of the time ahead to make up this lost ground, and to focus on ensuring we reach the targets we have set ourselves by 2030.
Our commitments to SDG transformation are contained in the National Implementation Plan 2022 - 2024. My Department continues to engage on a regular basis with civil society representatives in relation to Agenda 2030 through a range of mechanisms including the National Stakeholder Forum and regular engagements as part of our on-going commitment to partnership for the goals.
This inclusive and participative approach is reflected in the preparation of Ireland’s second Voluntary National Review (VNR), where civil society contributed a stakeholder chapter, and were also supported by my Department in attending the UN High Level Political Forum last July.
The National Stakeholder Forum in April of this year was dedicated to Ireland’s VNR. Civil society assessments from this Forum, on key areas of national importance – education, employment and social protection, health, community engagement and inclusion, housing, climate action and the circular economy – were included in the VNR and will be used to inform policy making going forward.
Ireland is committed to ensuring that the voices of civil society and community continue to be heard as we continue to deliver on our national commitments towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
