Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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Action 33 of the National Implementation Plan 2022 – 2024 outlines the commitment to undertake Ireland’s first Voluntary Local Review (VLR).

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development emphasises the need for an inclusive and localised approach to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to achieve their implementation at a local level.

The second National Implementation Plan acknowledges this approach, as well as the importance of cross-sectoral partnerships, community engagement and the role of local authorities, in the localisation of the SDGs. It is also acknowledged in the plan that there is still much work to do to translate the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development into local actions and impacts that contribute to the global achievement of the SDGs. Localisation of the SDGs can not only provide a framework for local development policy, but also for support from local governments for action from the ground up.

Agenda 2030 commits to regular and inclusive review of progress at the subnational, national, regional and global levels. National reports allow for assessments of progress and the identification of challenges at the regional and global levels, while also informing recommendations for implementation. Follow-up and review at the regional and sub-regional levels can provide useful opportunities for peer learning, sharing of best practices and discussion on shared targets. VLRs can play an important role in this.

The priority afforded to the Voluntary National Review process which I presented to the UN last July delayed the completion of this Action in 2023, and my Department now looks forward to working with relevant stakeholders in the Local Authority sector in undertaking a VLR this year.