Despite the annual Budget process arguably being the most important policy event of the year, the SDGs have never meaningfully featured, meaning that there is no evidence that the SDGs are being used as a decision making tool for resource allocation. Aligning budgets with the SDGs improves overall policy coherence, mitigating conflicts between different resource allocations and reinforcing the very nature of the SDGs as being overarching and interconnected. This alignment is recommended by The United Nations Development Programme and the OECD, in order to gauge the contribution of the budget to the SDGs. 

We call for the SDGs to be hardwired into the planning and budgetary processes across the State, an important political signal in itself, but one that can also allow for more effective monitoring of progress towards the Goals and comprehensive budgeting for long-term sustainable development.

Below you can find submissions from some of our member groups, developed in collaboration with diverse stakeholders to ensure our recommendations meet the needs and aspirations of all sectors of society.