The SDG’s can end poverty

David Donoghue co-delivered the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a historic global plan to end poverty by 2030.  Ahead of delivering the annual Trócaire Lenten Lecture on March 6th, he gives his thoughts on how to deliver this ambitious agreement.

This global agreement – signed by every country in the world – outlines 17 goals and 169 targets for delivering a world free from extreme poverty by 2030.

The targets include:

–   Enough nutritious food all year round for everybody
–   Access to primary and secondary education for all girls and boys
–   Universal access to safe and affordable drinking water

How do SDG targets get turned into reality?

“The emphasis has been on process up to now,” he says. “For example, how have states changed their internal structures to deliver the SDGs? How have they aligned their own national development plans? However, there comes a point when the rubber has to meet the road in terms of showing tangible progress. It is still very early days in the process but it is only a 15 year time span so the clock is ticking.”

Over sixty countries have completed voluntary reviews of their progress to date. Ireland’s review takes place this summer.  “The SDGs are not legally binding but they are politically and morally binding.”   However, despite the enormity of the task, he remains hopeful that the SDGs will deliver clear results.“I would love to think that we will achieve them by 2030,” he says. “That is possible provided everybody shows the same political will as has been evident so far.”

David Donoghue delivered the daunting task of setting the goals and now it is over to governments around the world to make sure they are met.

(The above text is an extract from Trócaire’s  News article by Eoghan Rice, on 2^nd March see:   https://www.trocaire.org/news/david-donoghue-sdg-lent-lecture).

Also see Reality of People & Earth made Poor – Presentation Issues 

David Donoghue will deliver the Trócaire Lenten Lecture at St. Patrick’s College, Maynooth, on Tuesday March 6th. The event begins at 7.15 pm. To book your place, email susan.cullen@trocaire.org or sign-up on Facebook.