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Ireland's political and cultural magazine
September/October 2015 73
INTERNATIONAL Sustainable Development
T
HE Taoiseach got our man at the
UN, David Donohue, in to co-chair
the process. That looked good and
he seemed to do a great job. We need
more than rhetoric now though. It
would have been better if in addition to
signing it he had meant it. There are
enough good intentions around to save
the planet twice over.
It’s pretty big really, the UN’s pro-
posed text on ‘Transforming Our World:
The Agenda for Sustainable Devel-
opment’. Universal development goals
and targets are proposed that involve
the whole world, even little Ireland. Can
the Taoiseach not imagine a world
determined to end poverty and hunger,
combat inequalities, and ensure the
protection of the planet and its natural
resources?
He could become part of that really.
It’d look great on his CV when he moves
on. He shouldn’t get too carried away
though, because so far no one seems to
want to pay for it. And he wasn’t too
generous on that score either. Still, that
doesn’t mean he couldn’t head on and
make some progress on it back here.
There are sustainable development
goals and targets. That worries me
too. Will Enda Kenny ever keep track of
them all? The proposed text says that
these goals and targets are “integrated
and indivisible”. He’ll have to pursue all
of them together, without cherry
picking.
Will he just sign it and shelve it? Will
he hand it over to the makers of indica-
tors and the drafters of reports? We do
great reports here but reports never
changed much. Ending poverty, ine-
quality and planetary destruction needs
more and, let’s face it, the UN are
putting it up to us.
There is a target to “reduce at least by
half the proportion of men, women and
children of all ages living in poverty” by
, under the goal to end poverty.
This government hasn’t been great on
poverty. Deprivations levels continue to
rise since the coalition took over.
Deprivation means people can’t afford
two from a list of basic items, but they
know that. The deprivation rate in Ire-
land stood at .% in and it
probably hasn’t got any better since
then. That’s at least . million people.
One thing they’re asking for here is
the creation of “sound policy frame-
works based on pro-poor and gender
sensitive development strategies to sup-
port accelerated investment in poverty
eradication actions”. No one could
argue that this government has invested
in any way in poverty eradication. Is
this all going to change? It must if the
Taoiseach is sincere about poverty.
The proposed text is big on equality.
This is not a value that seems to animate
the Taoiseach at all and it would be great
if this could change. Yes, he did the mar-
riage equality referendum and that was
fantastic. Full marks there. But equality
is a bit on the indivisible side too. You
can’t do it for some and not for others.
Kenny will have to up his game on this
one.
One goal is to “achieve gender equal-
ity and empower all women and girls”.
The Taoiseach should be moving to end
all forms of discrimination, and to elim-
inate all the particular forms of
violence, against women and girls. He’ll
really have to work on this violence one.
In , the EU Fundamental Rights
Agency found that % of Irish women
surveyed had experienced physical and/
or sexual violence by a partner or non-
partner since the age of .
There is another goal, to “reduce ine-
quality within and among countries”.
The government is going to have to
“progressively achieve and sustain
income growth of the bottom % of
the population at a rate higher than the
national average” by . The Taoi-
seach’s problems with the tiny
minimum wage increase proposed don’t
bode well. The starting point for him
isn’t great either, with the top % of
households getting .% of all net
income here in and the bottom
% only getting .%. It’s almost a
case of ‘nothing done, more to do’ on
this one.
He’ll also have to “ensure equal
opportunity and reduce inequalities of
outcome” and to “empower and pro-
mote the social, economic and political
inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex,
disability, race, ethnicity, origin, reli-
gion or economic or other status”.
Kenny’s track record here, to be honest,
is miserable. Under the goal on “cities
and human settlements” he’ll have to
ensure access for all to “adequate, safe,
and affordable housing” by . This
is one this government only seems go
backwards on. And all that’s before we
get to saving the planet.
The Taoiseach should go on and sign
it anyway. Then come back for the plau-
dits but get stuck into preparing and
publishing the ‘ambitious national
response’ the UN is looking for. Make us
the best little country to do sustainable
development goals in. That’s what he’d
really be remembered for, if he cared. •
What being serious about the proposed UN 2030 would look like for the Taoiseach.
By Niall Crowley
Make us the best little country
for sustainable development
There are 17
sustainable
development
goals and 169
targets. Will
he ever keep
track of them
all?
“
Yes to a
certain type
of equality
