SDGs

Last updated on Octoer 22nd 2019

5th SDG Stakeholder Forum. October 18th 2019

Focus. 17th Goal Partnerships for the Goals. One member cannot deliver on the SDGs partnership is key.

David Donohue permanent (for 4 years) rep to the UN and also chaired the negotiations for the SDGs and the 2030 Agenda was the keynote speaker.

The MDGs written by UN staff and simply announced,however the SDGs very difficult to negotiate. The SDGs have a universal agenda and required a script to which all would sign up. No country has as yet disowned the SDGs and they are still very much in favour as can be seen at the growing interest in the HLPF. SDG 17 is about the "how". The MDGs crafted without reference to financing and this was very much the concern of the G77 (developing countries)

David Donoghue insisted that the developed countries outline their resources and commit to a funding and renewal of the Global partnership, (the 5Ps). Partnership is one of these. Global partnership is the connectivity of players (govts, civil societies etc,) who come together to ensure achievement of he goals. Emphasis placed on cooperation between governments and other stakeholders ie partnership. The "My world survey", launched before the SDG launch and were of huge value and as co-author he relied on much of the content inspired by submissions of civil society. The "Leave No One Behind" (LNOB) principle came from civil society. This was added because of pressure from civil society. The UN civil Society and other stakeholders are ordinarily confined to the gallery. They are to be seen and not heard. One of the highlights of all UN negotiations was the inclusion of the Major Groups.

There is no central agency to advance partnerships. We are not supposed to choose one SDG as the most, or even more important. Mr Donoghue says that SDG17 is the "how" the goals are to be implemented. It was to be left to each country to decide how they would implement the SDGs and how to monitor all progress. Monitoring was left deliberately vague because some countries are nervous about demands made on them. This is at the heart of the voluntary agenda. Compromise between the needs of Global South and North were also important in bringing the SDG agenda across a line for all.

David Donohgue chaired the first meeting of the German stakeholders forum recently and noted that some governements are much further ahead (Ireland) but behind in others. All stakeholder Forums must be inclusive, in particular to the vulnerable groups. David Donoghue also insisted that ministerial participation is key. Those attending need to be sure that what's raised can become a talking issues at the higher levels. The process must offer confidence. Regular meetings and a sense of continuity from now till 2030 as we begin a this new decade of action, as was announced at the HLPF 2019.

Q and A on trade... Policy coherence is the way forward. Mercosaur an EU trade agreements must align to SDGs. EU backs the SDGs but must do so in all areas of policy. Real question is how to monitor new trade agreements in the context of the SDGs. To implement SDGs we must go from billions to trillions and the private sector is key to this. The international Private Sector couldn't wait to be involved as part of their corporate responsibility. The Private sector are constantly searching out partners. One major threat to SDGs implementation might be a loss of interest, but David Donoghue is struck by interest in HLPF. He very much liked Ireland's frank tone at their Volunteer National Review (VNR). We didn't do the beauty contest thing. We were one of the first counties to give a balanced VNR. There is some wriggle room that eases the conscience of certain countries eg whilst taking into consideration the national priories.

Seán Canney

Sean Canney minister appreciates the partnership with Coalition 2030 and offered a paper on how Ireland is trying to meet the challenge. He cited the 12 Champions from 70 applications to be Champions (named) to cover all members of society. He explained that SDG 17 enables the first 16 SDGs and is therefore the key and recognised that all parties have a responsibility to ensure that the SDGs are achieved. Partnership at home and abroad is key. Austerity led all to look again at his government links to Civil Society and what followed was the establishment of the Pubic Participation Networks (PPNs) with over 14,800 memberships organisations linked.

Columba O Dowd DFAT (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade) explains our partnership for international development. She has recently returned from Malawi and is heartened to hear the SDGs in conversation.

Slide 1 3 reports. A better world was a consultative paper. 4 policy priorities gender equality climate action reduce humanitarian need strengthened governance. Reach. 0.7% GNI by 2030 with a lot of work in conflict prevention.

Clusters around food, people and protection. Government DFAT policy necessarily involves 120 NGOS who received in excess of 120K last year. Critical partnerships. Map of Ireland Official ODA. 140 countries. 23 %of expenditure in 2018 in humanitarian need. We have an excellent reputation (OECD DAC review) in directing aid to the most needy.

In Malawi (171 Human Development Index) 70% of the aid that we offer is invested into challenging poverty. Climate change a huge issue in Malawi and each year 1,000,000 are in need of emergency humanitarian need. What is often noticed is aligning action on the ground to the corresponding action in the national plan. We offer €20 million to Malawi a small amount by the standards of US and UK generosity but we also influence through the UN and EU strictures..

Trying to move from emergency to resilience whilst looking at root causes.

Coalition 2030 were then offered some time to explain their work and why they are committed member of the Stakeholder Forum.

Valerie Duffy of the Steering Committee of Coalition 2030

Valerie Duffy explained that the early phases of working together takes time to achieve and had in equal measure amounts of frustration and potential. This point was also echoed early in the day by David Donoghue. Given that the SDGs apply to all Valerie offered that this calls for partnership and that it behoves us as organisations to find ways to work together whilst taking into account the fragility such complex arrangements may bring up. "We are global citizens, living on a challenged planet" and to successfully tackle the "root causes of poverty and inequality we must work together, across, communities, silos, departments and borders". So how exactly does Coalition 2030 work? Coalition 2030 works because there is a "shared vision and a commitment to Agenda 2030".

A number of Civil Society organisations (who wouldn't normally be associated with each other) came together in 2012 / 2013, with a varied expertise, knowledge, membership and this was the beginnings of Coalition 2030 whose aim was to hold the government to account in respect of the successful, inclusive implementation of the SDGs, by raising awareness, educating, building and sharing knowledge, supporting the actions of each contributing member and soon a structure emerged as the way forward for all who embraced their own membership of the coalition. This structure included a growing plenary, a steering committee with two busy working groups on policy and public engagement. The work of the working groups informs the Steering Committee.

Niamh Garvey of Trócaire is also a member of the Steering Committee and of the Policy and Advocacy Working Group.

The Coalition works in solidarity with members across a whole area of Social Justice issues and is active, delivering and promotes engagement. An effective coalition supports and amplifies the message that are necessary to ensure that the government is taking due account of it's responsibility to lead on the SDGs. Coalition 2030 launched it's own policy document in the year that the Irish Government delivered their first Voluntary National Review (VNR) and this was in the form of our own Shadow VNR that was the result of detailed consultation across the membership to detail recommendations that would contribute to the successful implementation of the SDGs at home and abroad. Coalition 2030 has engaged with the Department of the Communications Climate Action and Environment (DCCAE) around how we Civil Society can contribute meaningfully to Agenda 2030. We have attended in numbers and in membership the Stakeholders Forum(s). The Coalition has developed it's own communication pack, our own election Manifesto as well have engaging with our "Go Green for the Goals Campaign" around St. Patrick's Day.

We are making progress but it is not quick enough when it comes for example to our committed 0.7% of GNI ODA contribution. Currently we are at about 0.3% and have made efforts to increase year on year even during the years of austerity to our credit. Policy Coherence remains a constant and obvious threat to the achievement of the SDGs in Ireland especially when one thinks of our Tax and Trade Policies. It is important that we ensure that we are committed to "policies that serve the SDGs rather than undermine them".

David Joyce of Irish Congress of Trade Unions.

Partnership is necessary because of the cross cutting nature of the SDGs. The SDGs are interconnected and interdependent. Forsa as a union is one of the 12 SDG Champions as selected by the DCCAE. All unions in Ireland are affiliated to world wide bodies (e.g the ITUC) and they have come together to reflect and share on how SDG 8 (and others) can be implemented worldwide and to keep the pressure on all in respect of the rights and expectations of all who have a stake in decent work. David offered some difficult news and statistics which reinforced the need for partnership and collective engagement in the SDG process, e.g.

In repsect of collective bargaining 80% of countries that subscribe to a mechanism of collective bargaining have broken this including Ireland.

In Ecuador people are being beaten and killed when they try to assert their rights are employees.

59% of people in work are struggling to make ends meet.

69% or people in work have no formal representation.

70% of those who work have no social welfare entitlements at all.

The clock is ticking for a new social contract that requires an urgency and ambition for example in Qatar there have been sweeping changes to the Kafala sponsorhip system that enslaved migrants workers and demanded and exit interview among other human rights breaches. Qatar has embarked upon an ambitious and an expensive building programme to be ready to host the World Cup in 2023 and most of the construction work has been done by migrants who for the most part as treated poorly and are the dispensable workers that will ultimately bring about all that will be needed to ensure a successful World Cup. Partnership has changed the plight of all migrant workers who will and do work in Qatar.

Michael Ewing of the Environmental Pillar

Michael Ewing of the Environmental Pillar explained that the focus of the 32 organisations with the Environmental Pillar really took shape after Rio '92. The partnership / coalition formed in Ireland (Colaition 2030) brought those organisations who were not previously aligned or even aware of each others work into a space where the collective experience and voice can offer an impetus to concerns that are held by some or all of the coalition members. When we examine the context in which we are in partnership we take into account how the world is now seen (below). The environment is the one thing that binds us all, and nothing survives if the environment is destroyed. We are essentially being threatened by our own behaviour and the SDGs offer all a plan for how we can frame our future together.

Perhaps the best way to understand what we mean by partnerships is to see the layers of the SDGs below with the notion of partnership as being central to the successful achievement of the SDGs.

In the Afternoon we were asked three questions around the formation of a Youth SDG Forum as can be seen in the photos below.

Sept 18th 2019

The 12 SDG Champions are launched by Minister Bruton at the Ploughing Championship.

Minister Bruton said,

"We need to take actions in a broad range of policy areas to put us on a more sustainable pathway. The Sustainable Development Goals draw those together in an integrated way. Achieving them will be a challenge. We need everyone to get involved and play their part in whatever way they can. The Champions chosen here today will be beacons of best practice for the coming year. They will lead the way with practical examples for how we can all contribute."

Each Champion organisation will primarily focus on a select number of SDGs each, resulting in all 17 SDGs being championed in total. However, all twelve Champions' campaigns will be built around the core message that the Sustainable Development Goals are for everyone in society and that everyone can make a contribution, large or small, to their success.

Climate Action and Sustainability will be a key focus for the Government at the National Ploughing Championships this year. Minister Bruton is also today leading a discussion on the recently published All of Government Climate Action Plan today in the Government of Ireland Marquee at 2pm.

Minister Bruton said:

"Our society must take action now to ensure that our homes, our enterprises, our farms and our communities are resilient in a very challenging and fast paced world. Agriculture is Ireland's largest single source of greenhouse gas but is also Ireland's single greatest carbon sink. I look forward to discussing how new farming methods and new opportunities in the bio economy can strength the resilience and sustainability of our land use."

Minister Richard Bruton announces the 12 SDG Champions for 2019 / 2020 below. The full infographic can be downloaded here

The 12 Champions PR contacts are as follows:

Sr Elsa Mutathu shared with us this final gift of the IPA SDG survey report prepared by interns Claire Genest and Skye Stripeikis within a very short time frame.

IPA SDG Survey Report 2019_RFS .pdf

4th Stakeholders Forum July 30th 2019

Dublin Castle

List to the Keynote address by An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar

Report from the 4th Stakeholders Forum in Dublin Castle.

This was important because for the first time we were being address by the Taoiseach (in the clip above). He explained that Ireland and more importantly the Irish Government were committed to the SDGs and to the UN processes. He spoke of our VNR as being a call to action at home and abroad: "ar scáth a chéile a mhairimd" essentially commiting to ensuring that Ireland will leave no-one behind. This he explained can be done when we work together, " Ní neart go cur le chéile"

The Taoiseach referenced all government departments as they have a role in SDG proofing and implementation in their respective departments.

Minister Pat Breen Minister of State at Business, Enterprise and Innovation explained that as SDG 8 Economic Growth and Decent Work was reviewed at the UN HLPF 2019 that today there would be input from those with a particular interest in SDG 8. He spoke of the Climate Action Plan 2019 and the Just Transition that must take place to safeguard jobs and move with ease from one form of energy production too another. (Renewables).

We listened to three speakers:

Bernie McNally from the Department of Children and Youth Affairs who spoke to us about decent jobs in the childcare sector.
David Hegarty spoke about the future of jobs in Ireland and the skills needed to perform.
Andrew Forde spoke about the Rural Strategy and Social Enterprise. He was careful to explain that even in full employment there are those left behind and the real challenge is to engage them properly. In Ireland those left behind are offenders, migrants, disabled & single mothers.

We welcomed the launch of the SDG Hub, a geosite launched at the SDG Stakeholder Forum to gather and disseminate data tracking Ireland's progress towards the SDGs. This was introduced to us by the Central Statistics Office and Ordinance Survey representatives. This initiative allows for the drill down of data, dis-aggregating it for ease of understanding and of clarity

After Lunch we were then divided into groups to discuss how we can engage. This was extremely disappointing in that half the room was gone after lunch and the groups were too unwieldy to take allow for effective participation.

Below is some of the comment that came from the floor re the Stakeholders Forum today via the Sli-do app. I offer the screenshots below. Campers were not happy that for the 4th time now there was too many speaking at us and too little time for intervention. It would have been a fantastic opportunity to comeback to the floor with all that went on at the UN HLPF that we attended. There was NO mention of this.

Oisín Coghlan Jul 19

I’m proud that @foeireland was in a position to ensure @FFFireland’s voice was heard at the Irish Government event on “intergenerational dialogue on climate action” with Minister @SeanCanneyat UN SDG forum in New York this week. Otherwise we’d be enabling greenwashing #HLPF2019

SDG #4 Class and education in Ireland: ‘Disadvantaged students cannot thrive’

Despite official efforts at combating disadvantage in Irish schools, a huge class chasm remains. While middle-class girls thrive, working-class boys struggle. We recently invited readers to give their perspectives on this issue. Here is a selection of your responses. More here

June 4th 2019 No Country will achieve Gender Equity by 2030

t’s worrying at an international level because it gives a foothold to other governments to continue to repress women,” she said. “Parties who are very much against women’s rights and gender equality are growing stronger and stronger and are able to have lot of influence in policy spaces a global level.” More here

June 4th

Bruton says carbon tax is set to increase in the next budget

Minister says climate action plan will see ‘massive shift’ from fossil fuel-powered electricity, transport and heating. More here

Most recently Brian O'Toole at the Presentation Justice Desk was interviewed by Una Ruddock of Liffey Sound FM and below is a link to a copy of the half hour interview that gives some comment on the Interprovincial Nature of our Work and of the work in Ireland in the SDGs. You can listen to the full interview here

https://drive.google.com/open?id=16VHKAzvdD2BnLDoAVAPDtEc-paRcNNbN

#SDG4 Quality Education in the UK?

Three months ago, the education minister Lord Agnew offered to bet any headteacher “a bottle of champagne and a letter of commendation” that he could find wasteful spending in their school. It was a crass, tin-eared remark to make at a time when some schools are closing early on a Friday to save money. More here

What Are the Global Goals — and How Close Are We to Achieving Them?

Experts say the world needs to pick up the pace to achieve the goals by 2030. Some real detail here

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