Mr. Michael Gaffey:

I will take this, and I know Mr. Roughneen will want to come in too. I thank the Deputy. He mentioned the stunning statistic that almost halfway through the period to 2030, only 15% of the targets for the SDGs have been reached globally. That is a global failing. I do not think we can say that one country has done well and another has not, except nationally. Internationally however, since 2019, the number of people in poverty and suffering from hunger has been going back in the wrong direction. That is a huge challenge. It has been accentuated since by the Covid-19 pandemic; by the impact of conflict, including the war in Ukraine; by the interlocking crises we are facing, which are humanitarian, developmental and political; and overall, by the existential threat of climate change. In all of that, inevitably, people suffering and living with disabilities are somehow at the bottom of the pile.

If we look at the statistics, I think they are suffering more than others. The SDG summit in September was very much focused on reinvigorating the international community's response. However, a lot more needs to be done in terms of national commitments to official development assistance and on the reform of the international financial architecture to help move the funding needed for the ambitious SDGs to be achieved.

It is a huge international challenge. It involves the global community, as the UN Secretary General has recognised. He said that the political declaration, which Ireland helped negotiate, is a rescue plan for the SDGs. The challenge now is to take that rescue plan and act on it.

The SDGs and Agenda 2030 really highlight inequality of every type in the world, be it between women and men or disabled and non-disabled people. The big challenge is to end inequality in all its dimensions because it is the main source of poverty. When we look at the statistics for employment for women with disability, we have to target this area specifically. We cannot assume a supposed rising tide will lift all boats.