Mr. David Donoghue:

I wish to add to what Ms Carmody said. I thank Deputy Haughey for his questions. It is difficult to give a broad-brush account of how a country or even a region is doing because if they are honest, they will say they are doing well on some goals and not well on others. That honesty has only gradually come in. In the first few years when these national reports were being presented by countries at the UN each year, there was a fair amount of beauty contest stuff – no country wanted to be honest. Ireland was actually one of the first to set out with reasonable openness that we were strong in some areas and weak in others and, dare I say it, we were weak on the climate side several years ago. Ms Carmody and Coalition 2030 will of course have a different perspective because they have the task of analysing in detail what Ireland or any country is doing with regard to the SDGs. My overall sense is that there is now greater honesty and countries, on the whole, will say they are okay in some areas and not doing well in something else. It is a mixed report card for almost everybody. That is why I am not surprised that the EU has not achieved any of the goals in full, as Ms Carmody mentioned. Nobody has achieved any of the goals in full. To be honest, when we were framing this agenda, we did not think there would be a 100% return for anybody, even by 2030. I am not thrown back by the idea that the EU has not achieved any particular goal in full, as long as it is demonstrating it is heading in the right direction.

I hold no brief for the EU but I read the voluntary review it presented last summer, which goes through each goal and gives a differentiated account of each of them. On the whole, I am relieved there is now a greater political energy in the EU in support of the agenda than there was several years ago, and I tried to bring that out in my note. Barry Andrews has done great work in the European Parliament to raise the profile of the SDGs and ensure wider political commitment to them. There are many contributions being made to the EU’s increased profile on the SDGs.

On Ireland, I think Ms Carmody covered it well. My overall sense is that we are now doing better in the broadest way. One can argue about individual goals and targets. I think there has been quite a high level of commitment under this Government from all parties.