Mr. J.P. Mulherin:

Good morning everyone. I thank the Chair and committee members for the opportunity to appear before them to discuss the implementation of the sustainable development goals, SDGs, in the Department of Rural and Community Development. I am accompanied by Ms Clodagh McDonnell, whose team is responsible for facilitating and co-ordinating the implementation of the SDGs across the Department.

As the committee will be aware, the Department was founded in 2017 with a mission to promote rural and community development and to support vibrant, inclusive and sustainable communities throughout Ireland. We have been very cognisant of the context the SDGs provide for the work we do in the Department and of the need to integrate the SDGs into our policies and programmes. The Department’s statement of strategy includes a commitment to align our policies with the SDG national implementation plan and to place SDGs at the heart of our policies.

In meeting this objective, we have given specific consideration to the SDGs in our key policies. For example, each of the 150 or so policy measures in Our Rural Future, the national rural development policy, are aligned with one or more of the SDGs. The strategic objectives outlined in Ireland’s new national outdoor recreation strategy are also aligned with the SDGs. There are strong links with goals such as SDG 3, good health and well-being, and SDG 15, which focuses on the sustainable use of our natural resources. The SDGs are also mainstreamed into the national social enterprise policy. The implementation of this policy is opening new opportunities for social enterprises to address social and environmental challenges, and thereby contribute towards the SDGs, particularly SDG 8, decent work and economic growth. We are strongly of the view that social enterprises are inherently contributing to the sustainable development goal agenda.

The Department’s statement of strategy also commits us to work across government to strengthen and build understanding and capacity in the community and voluntary sector to support the delivery of the SDG national implementation plans. Our community and voluntary organisations are key drivers of positive social change in society. Sustainable, Inclusive and Empowered Communities: A Five-Year Strategy to Support the Community and Voluntary Sector in Ireland includes specific actions to build the understanding and awareness of the SDGs and to build the capacity of the sector to incorporate the SDGs into their operations. As part of the second SDG national implementation plan, the Department also has a key role to play in sectoral stakeholder engagement and specifically in community engagement. The plan includes a commitment to consult public participation networks, PPNs, to identify the tools required to support the integration of the SDGs into their work and to develop supports based on that. Indeed, much is already being done in this area; the national implementation plan includes a case study highlighting the work of Kerry PPN in raising awareness of the SDGs and integrating them into its work.

The Department is also contributing to the achievement of the SDGs across many of our other programmes and policies. For example, the Our Public Libraries strategy is an important contributor to goal 4, which is to "Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all". In September 2022, an SDG week was held in libraries throughout the country to mark the anniversary of UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The town centre first policy provides a co-ordinated, whole-of-government policy framework to proactively address the decline in the health of towns throughout Ireland and support measures to regenerate and revitalise those towns. The policy has a focus on ensuring we plan for sustainable cities and communities in line with goal 11. Our work with marginalised and disadvantaged communities through the social inclusion and community activation programme, SICAP, and other programmes, is making an important contribution to the 2030 agenda pledge to “leave no one behind”. The SDGs also form an integral part of theSuperValu Tidy Towns competition, which is administered by the Department of Rural and Community Development. The SDGs have been aligned to each of the eight competition categories and a specific SDG award was introduced for 2021, thus helping to build a practical understanding and awareness of the SDGs in almost 1,000 communities throughout the country.

I am conscious that my opening remarks represent a very brief overview of some of the key areas of intervention by the Department of Rural and Community Development. My colleague, Ms McDonnell, and I are, of course, very happy to answer any questions that members may have and to follow up in writing with any further detail that may be required afterwards.