SDSN Ireland Engages in OECD Consultation on Policy Coherence for Sustainable Development in Ireland
The two consultation sessions detailed below to inform Ireland’s Third National SDG Implementation Plan
Dublin, 4 March 2024 — SDSN Ireland was invited by the SDG Unit within the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC) to participate in a high-level consultation on policy coherence for sustainable development (PCSD) in Ireland. This consultation, facilitated by the OECD PCSD unit, is part of a broader EU-funded technical support project aimed at strengthening Ireland’s ability and capacity to integrate the SDGs into government structures.
The consultation forms part of a study commissioned by DECC to assess horizontal coherence across government departments and vertical alignment with local authorities. Representing SDSN Ireland were Ambassador David Donoghue, Professor Enda Murphy (UCD), Dr. Seán Healy (Social Justice Ireland), and Dr. John Barimo (UCC). Additionally, Kate Morris represented the Irish Universities Association and Catherine Carty from Coalition 2030.
Key Contributions from SDSN Ireland
SDSN Ireland used the opportunity to raise several critical issues:
The need for leadership and coordination from the Taoiseach’s Office to drive SDG implementation and policy coherence at the highest level of government.
Insufficient use of the 2030 Agenda as a framing lens for national and local policy and budget processes, where it is often treated as an afterthought rather than a guiding framework.
Lack of progress on the rollout of Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs), despite commitments made in Ireland’s Second National Implementation Plan and the 2023 Voluntary National Review on SDG progress submitted to the UN High-Level Political Forum.
Consideration of Northern Ireland policy to create greater ‘diagonal or lateral policy coherence’ to foster all-island collaboration on SDG implementation.
Former Irish Ambassador David Donoghue to the UN shared his insights and rationale for the broad holistic architecture of the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs. David was co-lead negotiator on intergovernmental negotiations for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Dublin, 26 March 2025 — SDSN Ireland, represented by Ambassador David Donoghue and Dr. John Barimo, participated in a key multi-stakeholder workshop convened as part 2 of the OECD’s technical support mission to strengthen Ireland’s capacity for Policy Coherence for Sustainable Development (PCSD). This workshop brought together NGOs, academia, and business leaders to support Ireland’s integration of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into government structures and decision-making processes.
This session, held on 26 March, followed two days of workshops (24–25 March) with senior government officials. The overall goal of the project is to support Ireland in embedding the SDGs into the core work of Government Departments, improving alignment between policies and sustainability outcomes.
The expected long-term impact is an accelerated achievement of the SDGs across all levels of government, made possible through the implementation of practical policy coherence measures.
Key outcomes include:
The development of a national strategic direction for PCSD;
A shared understanding between Government Departments on how to operationalise this approach.
Informing Ireland’s Third National SDG Implementation Plan
The workshop played a critical role in shaping the policy coherence chapter of Ireland’s upcoming Third National Implementation Plan (NIP) for the SDGs. The consultation focused on identifying tools, mechanisms, and administrative practices that Ireland could adopt to strengthen policy coherence both horizontally (across departments) and vertically (between national and local government).
These practices are being consolidated into a guidance document that will be used to inform and support the alignment of the Third NIP with OECD-PCSD principles over the life of the plan.
All events were part of the EU-funded project “23IE10 – Building Policy Coherence for Sustainable Development across national and local government in Ireland”, supported through the EU Technical Support Instrument (TSI) in partnership with DG REFORM. The project was initiated at the request of Ireland’s SDG Unit within DECC.
