The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the global community’s response to the urgent economic, social and environmental problems facing the world today, from climate change to global poverty and inequality. The 17 SDGs set out a bold vision for achieving a more sustainable world by the year 2030. Ireland has a particular interest in the SDGs, as our former Ambassador to the UN, Mr David Donoghue, acted as co-facilitator to the intergovernmental negotiations through which the Goals were agreed.
In his address, Minister Denis Naughten launched The Sustainable Development Goals: National Implementation Plan 2018-2020, which sets out how the Irish Government will implement the SDGs in Ireland and support countries around the world to do the same, particularly through the work of Irish Aid, Ireland’s programme for overseas development. Minister Naughten discussed how The National Implementation Plan provides for a whole-of-government response to the SDGs and addresses the need to raise public awareness of, and engagement with, the SDGs.
About the Speaker:
Minister Denis Naughten was appointed a senior Government Minister, representing the Roscommon-Galway constituency, on May 6th 2016. He was reappointed to Cabinet on June 14th 2017 and to his position as Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment. He has been a TD since 1997, previously serving as the youngest ever member of Seanad Éireann. Minister Naughten has been an Independent member of Dáil Éireann since 2011. A scientist by profession, Minister Naughten was educated at University College Dublin and University College Cork.
