Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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Established in 2019, the SDG Champions Programme was developed to raise public awareness of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to demonstrate that everyone in society can make a contribution to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Strategic Objective 3 of Ireland’s Second SDG National Implementation Plan 2022-2024 (NIP) is “Greater partnerships for the Goals” and the SDG Champions Programme is a key mechanism towards achieving this. The Credit Unions, along with 25 other organisations have been appointed as part of the 2023 to 2024 SDG Champions Programme, from across the public, private, community, voluntary, youth and NGO sectors.

The role of an SDG Champion is to act as an advocate and promoter of the SDGs and a good practice example of how an organisation can contribute to the SDGs and integrate them into their work and activities.

Working with the Champions, the Department will host quarterly meetings to allow for peer and industry learning amongst Champions to showcase how they are promoting the SDGs and integrating them into work programmes and strategies. In addition, champions will be required to submit a quarterly report, to showcase their activities and work. Reports will be uploaded to gov.ie (gov.ie/SDGs) and to the SDG Geohive (Ireland’s Hub for Sustainable Development). At the end of their tenure, each Champion will also take part in a showcase event to demonstrate what has been achieved throughout the period.

The ongoing promotion and integration of the SDGs into the organisations’ activities, along with increased awareness, illustration of best practice, and knowledge-sharing resulting from the programme, are intended to act as a catalyst for other organisations and members of civil society to collaborate and to incorporate the SDGs into their daily lives to increase Ireland’s collective ability to achieve sustainable development.