Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

We have to acknowledge the very special role that Ireland played in developing the SDGs. That was our then ambassador, David Donoghue. We are in a unique position with that. There is always a danger, when we have agreed goals and targets, that we do not move on to the next phase quickly enough, which is implementation and monitoring. We know what they are about. They are about inequality. If we had to sum it up, we would agree that it is about that. Whatever about the inequalities that Ireland faces, we know that, when it comes to living with inequalities in the global south, in countries in Latin America and certain countries in south-east Asia, we are talking about a different kind of inequality.

I was at Concern's 50th anniversary in Dublin Castle recently and I heard the great enthusiasm and commitment there. Everybody was on the same page. They were talking about the momentum that gathered in New York. How do we move that momentum further? I know that suggestions are being made about the national action plan. One is that all Departments have to come together. There has to be high-level representation because otherwise we will not get policy coherence. The trade policies and tax policies all have to be aligned with our finance policies. Does the Minister expect there will be that cross-departmental group? I know his Department is the lead on this but it will not work unless the other Departments buy in.

See this speech in context