Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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223. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the status of the work of the Sustainable Development Goals Interdepartmental Working Group; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26536/21]

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. The first National Implementation Plan 2018-2020, published in 2018, set out Ireland’s strategy to achieve the SDGs.The complexity and interconnectedness of the SDGs requires continued and regular cross-government engagement to support effective and coherent implementation. To this end, a priority in developing the first SDG National Implementation Plan was establishing an effective governance structure that would oversee delivery of the Agenda from a whole-of-government perspective.  A Senior Officials’ Group [SOG] on the SDGs was established, and is assisted by the SDG Interdepartmental Working Group [IDWG], each comprised of representatives from all Government Departments.

21 meetings of the Interdepartmental Working Group have taken place to date, the most recent meeting taking place on 23 April 2021. Further details on the most recent IDWG meetings are set out in the table below.

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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224. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the progress made in preparing a new sustainable development strategy taking Ireland’s commitments directly into account as outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals National Implementation Plan 2018-2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26537/21]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) National Implementation Plan 2018 – 2020 was developed to oversee and facilitate coherent implementation of the SDGs across Government, and to promote awareness of the SDGs. The SDG Plan included a commitment to prepare a new sustainable development strategy to replace Our Sustainable Future, which remained Ireland’s national sustainable development strategy in 2018. A review of actions that were not fully achieved during the lifetime of the first SDG National Implementation Plan was recently undertaken, to inform preparation of the next SDG Plan due for publication later this year. While a new sustainable development strategy was not completed during the period of the first SDG Plan, the national policy space surrounding sustainable development has evolved significantly since the SDG National Implementation Plan was adopted in 2018, and a number of complementary Government plans and strategies have been produced which include targeted actions and measures to deliver Ireland’s sustainable development objectives. Some further details on these policies which my Department are leading on are set out below: -The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement require transformational shift across all sectors towards a climate resilient and sustainable economy and society. The Climate Action Plan 2019, published in June 2019, provided the first framework of actions necessary across all sectors to deliver the integrated policy required to achieve our 2030 EU climate targets (which are to be revised upwards shortly) and put us on a pathway to climate neutrality by 2030.

- A public consultation was launched in March 2021 to inform the Climate Action Plan 2021, which will build on the Climate Action Plan 2019, and provide additional actions necessary to meet the Programme for Government climate ambition, as well as ensuring we meet any revised EU targets.

- In September 2020, the Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy was published, which provides Ireland’s new roadmap for waste planning and management. The Plan outlines the contribution of the sector to support the achievement of a number of other national plans and policies including the Climate Action Plan. It also matches the level of ambition being shown across the European Union through the European Green Deal, which encompasses a range of actions supporting circularity and sustainability. To support the policy, regulation is already being used (Circular Economy Legislative Package), or in the pipeline (Single Use Plastics Directive).

- Further cementing the commitment to Ireland’s transition to a circular economy, the Waste Action Plan commits to develop Ireland’s First Whole-of-Government Circular Economy Strategy to set a course for Ireland to transition across all sectors and at all levels of government toward circularity. The Department is currently finalising a draft which will be issued for public consultation shortly.

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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225. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the actions he has taken to seek stakeholder input to all sustainable development goals reports prepared under the Sustainable Development Goals National Implementation Plan 2018-2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26538/21]

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, will require not only action by Government but all individuals across society.

The first National 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 establish a national Sustainable Development Goals Stakeholder Forum.

The National SDG Stakeholder Forum brings together organisations and individuals to discuss and workshop innovative ideas and solutions for achieving the SDGs in Ireland.

Six meetings of the National Stakeholder Forum have taken place to date, with two meetings in 2018 and four further meetings 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. An important element of this Plan is the SDG Policy Map and Matrix, which enhances the ability of stakeholders to track Ireland’s implementation of specific SDGs and associated targets, and to assess Ireland’s response to the SDGs for potential policy gaps. It also supports and enhances cross-Government engagement in implementing each of the Goals and associated Targets. This policy map has recently been updated and is available online at gov.ie

A roadmap and timeline for completion of the new Plan is currently being finalised, with publication envisaged later this year. Engaging with stakeholders will remain an important feature in the development and implementation of the next Plan.  Scheduling of stakeholder engagement will be informed by the finalised roadmap.