Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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841. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the person responsible for tracking the implementation of the sustainable development goals; his plans to support the implementation of the sustainable development goals relevant to his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24905/16]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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The 2030 Agenda, which encompasses seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), was adopted by world leaders at the UN Summit in New York last September. It provides the framework for sustainable development globally, with universal application. Given its universal nature, Ireland’s implementation will not be confined to the work of our overseas development assistance programme, but will also require action to ensure domestic implementation of the SDGs. Like many of our EU partners, we are considering the most appropriate institutional framework to support implementation of the new agenda. My Department is engaging with the Department of the Taoiseach and the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment to establish the most appropriate institutional arrangements for implementation, monitoring and review of the SDGs at national, regional and global levels. Given that effective implementation of the 2030 Agenda at national level will require a broad and integrated domestic policy response across the economic, social and environmental pillars of sustainable development, the national implementation framework will need to provide for coordinated engagement across Government as well as outreach to a broad group of stakeholders. This work includes consideration of the adequacy of existing governance mechanisms across Departments, based on the objective of achieving efficiency and effectiveness, coherence and inclusion. We are also working with the Central Statistics Office which will perform a key role as part of the implementation framework and will support the development of measurable national objectives and indicators that best align with the SDGs.

My Department is also working to ensure that Irish Aid, in its programming and policy, supports the achievement of the Goals in developing countries. I am determined that our aid programme, which is central to our foreign policy will continue to focus in particular on action to end extreme poverty, hunger and under nutrition by 2030.