Working Together to Transform the World
On 1st March 2017, ATD Ireland was proud to take part in the official launch of Coalition2030 in the Mansion House in Dublin.
The event was attended by leading civil society and political figures, with Minister for Communications, Climate Action and the Environment, Denis Naughten TD, Martin Fraser, Secretary General in the Department of the Taoiseach, Leader of the Green Party Eamon Ryan TD and Sinn Féin Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs and Trade, Seán Crowe TD. Other speakers at the launch included Dóchas CEO Suzanne Keatinge, Sean Healy, Social Justice Ireland, Olive Towey, Concern Worldwide, Oisin Coghlan, Friends of the Earth and Brian Campfield, President of ICTU.
Dóchas CEO, Suzanne Keatinge, with Minister for Communications, Climate Action and the Environment launching Coalition2030.
Coalition2030 is an alliance of over 100 leading civil society groups (including ATD Ireland) working together for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The organisations involved in the Coalition work across many sectors—from children’s rights to environmental sustainability and from humanitarian relief to education—here in Ireland and in over 50 countries across the globe.
The members of Coalition2030 include: Age Action Ireland; All Together in Dignity (ATD); ChildFund Ireland; CBM Ireland; Centre for Youth Research and Development, Maynooth University; Christian Aid; Comhlámh; Community Work Ireland; Concern Worldwide; Development Perspectives; Disability Federation of Ireland; Dóchas; EcoUnesco; 80:20 Educating & Acting for a Better World; Environmental Pillar; European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN); Future Earth Ireland; Global Action Plan; Gorta Self Help Africa; Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU); Irish Development Education Association; Mercy International Association; Misean Cara; National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI); National Women’s Council of Ireland (NWCI); Oxfam Ireland; Presentation Sisters (PBVM); Services Industrial Professional Technical Union (SIPTU); Social Justice Ireland; Society of St. Vincent de Paul; SpunOut; The Wheel; Trinity International Development Initiative (TIDI); Trocaire; UCD Centre for Sustainable Development Studies; UNICEF; Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO); and World Vision Ireland.
The SDGs represent a radical political, economic, environmental and social manifesto for the world up until 2030. It has the potential to be one of the most important turning points in modern history. This is not about business as usual. It is about working together to transform the world—to end hunger and poverty once and for all and to safeguard the future of our planet. It is about ensuring that no one is left behind.
Since the adoption of the SDGs on the 25th September 2015, ATD in Ireland has been very active in promoting the 2030 Agenda. For ATD, the 17 Goals of 2030 Agenda are an empowering framework for citizens living in poverty and marginalisation in Ireland and abroad. Many projects were run to raise awareness about 17 SDGs and to enable Irish citizens including those facing poverty and marginalisation to take ownership of the 17 goals. Projects such as:
- The “Light the Way” gathering on 24th of September 2015 on the Millennium Bridge
- The Roles we play for SDGs
- The Magnificent 17
- Growing together to Leave No One Behind – 17th of October 2016
- Marking the First Anniversary of the adoption of the SDG
- Open letters to the Department of the Taoiseach about the needed implementation of the 2030 Agenda
Will Ireland light the way?
Ireland has played a key leadership role in the development of the SDGs. The work done by Ireland’s Ambassador to the UN, David Donoghue, when Ireland co-chaired the UN negotiations on the SDGs with Kenya, cannot be overstated.
NGOs in Ireland were crucial to the development of the SDGs and now it is time that we make sure we are crucial to their implementation and success. The Coalition2030 will work together to ensure that their potential to transform our world is fulfilled.
To do this Ireland also needs strong political leadership, effective coordination and a ‘whole of Government’ approach. Coalition2030 has three key asks for the Irish Government:
1. Coalition2030 wants an ambitious National Action Plan led by the Department of the Taoiseach—involving all government departments—to steer, implement, monitor and report on the SDGs. This plan must emphasise the interlinked nature of the Goals—making the link, for example, between agriculture and climate change, trade policy and global poverty.
2. Coalition2030 wants an inclusive monitoring forum, one in which civil society and in particular those vulnerable groups—both in Ireland and internationally—who stand to gain or lose most from Ireland’s work on the SDGs, are fully represented.
3. The success of the 2030 Agenda will not happen without increased financing for development. The Government must commit the resources required to achieve the SDGs, both at home and internationally. On international level, a key indicator of this commitment will be a clear and credible plan to reach the UN target to spent 0.7% of our GNI on overseas development aid (ODA).
More about the launch and the work of Coalition members:
- Dóchas: Working Together to Transform the World
- Social Justice Ireland: Ireland ranked 11th of EU-15 countries in Sustainable Progress Index
- The Irish Times – Naughten to double number of State’s air-monitoring stations
- RTE – Report from the launch by Della Kilroy on RTE’s Drivetime
- Spunout – New Coalition Calls for Action on Sustainable Development Goals
- NYCI – Coalition2030 – The Launch
- Childfund – Coalition 2030 Group Launches in Dublin
- YMCA – Interview with Minister Denis Naughten