Ireland’s second National Implementation Plan for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is due to be launched on the afternoon of Wednesday 5th October in Government buildings. The SDGs are an interconnected policy framework adopted by all 193 UN member states in 2015 that aims to, by 2030, create fairer and more equal societies while simultaneously halting climate change and reversing biodiversity loss.

Coalition 2030, Ireland’s civil society SDG coalition says that this plan which was delayed by over a year now offers an opportunity for the Government to create a fairer, safer Ireland while contributing to sustainable development abroad. They want to see a comprehensive cross-Government plan which clearly sets out tangible, time-bound actions to meet the SDGs, clarity around department responsibility for each target, and a tool for balancing implementation so that progress in one area does not undermine progress in another.

Speaking in advance of the plan’s publication, Louise Finan, Chair of Coalition 2030 and Head of Policy at Dóchas said,

“We want to see a plan underpinned by strong ambition and serious commitment. In Ireland and abroad we’re facing a complex set of crises that are undoing gains on SDG progress; cost of living, conflict, an acute global hunger crisis and climate change, not to mention the impacts of Covid-19. Progressing the SDGs has never been more important.”

Coalition 2030 is calling for the plan to integrate the SDGs across all Government departments, to transfer responsibility for SDG coordination to the Department of the Taoiseach, and to reach the furthest behind first in society.

Oisín Coghlan, CEO of Friends of the Earth, a Coalition 2030 member organisation said,

“The SDGs are a ready-made framework for joining the dots between Government departments so that nobody gets left behind. If we are serious about having a just transition both in Ireland and abroad, achieving the SDGs is not just important: it is necessary. We’re nearly halfway through the SDGs and so this plan really marks the point where the rubber must meet the road.”

Coalition 2030 welcomes the involvement of the public in developing this plan, and is eager to continue working with officials to progress the SDGs.