Marc Ó Cathasaigh (Waterford, Green Party)
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30. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the status of the stakeholder forum on the sustainable development goals; the membership of that group; the dates of meetings held since its inception; the scope of their work; the Departments represented in the group; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9064/21]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is a significant and ambitious policy agenda that concerns all Government Departments.

A fundamental feature of the 2030 Agenda is the inclusive and active voice stakeholders had in both the negotiation and adoption of the Agenda. Achieving sustainable development, and particularly the targets and commitments set out in the 17 SDGs, requires not only action by Government but all individuals across society.

The first Sustainable Development Goals National Implementation Plan 2018-2020 published in 2018, set out Ireland’s strategy to achieve the SDGs and committed the Government to establishing a national Sustainable Development Goals Stakeholder Forum.

Chaired by my Department, the National SDG Stakeholder Forum brings together representatives from all Government Departments, and provides a mechanism for key stakeholders to engage in the national implementation of the Goals, and inputting to the national reporting framework.

The Forum aims for open and inclusive engagement with representatives across different stakeholder groups, and includes voices from groups at risk of social exclusion and/or discrimination in the national implementation of the Goals.

Six National Stakeholder Fora have taken place to date, with two fora in 2018 and four further fora in 2019. Further details are set out in the table below.

Ensuring and improving policy coherence across the Goals is a critical feature and area for consideration in developing a revision of the National Implementation Plan. As part of this process, the lead and stakeholder Departments for each of the Goals and targets is being reviewed, and a roadmap and timeline for completion of the new Plan is currently being finalised, with publication envisaged later this year. The SDG Stakeholder Forum will remain an important feature in the development of, and implementation of the next Plan. Scheduling of the next Stakeholder Forum meeting will be informed by the finalised roadmap.