National Statement by Minister of State Ossian Smyth at the UN High-level Political Forum

Check against delivery

Excellencies, ladies, and gentlemen,

The world has gathered here to recommit to the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and to build momentum towards the Summit of the Future in September.

The Secretary General’s SDG progress report highlights that only 17% of SDG targets are on track to be achieved and nearly half are showing minimal or moderate progress, with over a third stalled or even regressing. The stakes could not be higher, and we must all do our part to deliver a better future.

Given the multiple and interlocking global crises, it is imperative that we harness the momentum from last September’s SDG Summit to steer us back towards delivering the Goals. Ireland fully supports the Summit’s call for a renewed impetus and accelerated actions for reaching the SDGs and, to that end, the full implementation of the collective commitments in the 2023 SDG Summit Political Declaration, co-facilitated by Ireland and Qatar.

The High Level Political Forum remains an essential platform for assessing progress on the SDGs, to understand challenges in addressing specific Goals each year, but also to reinforce how the SDGs are interlinked and interdependent. Our SDG implementation plans need to take account of synergies and trade-offs across the 2030 Agenda. Also, the link between peace and progress on the SDGs has never been more apparent, given the terrible cost in lives and livelihoods as a result of conflict in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, and elsewhere. We will fail to transform our world for the better if conflict and aggression continues to bring such suffering and hardship.

The upcoming Summit of the Future is a chance to build upon our SDG commitments and provides us with a crucial opportunity to reinvigorate the ambitious, global action needed to rescue the Goals and deliver progress for people and the planet by 2030. We need to reinvigorate the multilateral system to allow it deliver on the promises of the 2030 Agenda. Ireland will continue to work with all member states and the UN system to maximise the synergies between the 2030 Agenda and Our Common Agenda.

Climate change demands urgent and decisive action. It must be acknowledged that the journey to climate neutrality will have different impacts on different sections of society, and the principles of a just transition will be integral to ensuring climate action is sustainable, inclusive and equitable; that the benefits of the transition are experienced by all and that no community is left behind. Leaving no-one behind is central to everything we as a nation are trying to achieve and is the focus of Ireland’s implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals at home and abroad.

The key transitions identified in the 2023 Global Sustainable Development Report around food and land systems, along with the need to strengthen multilateralism and reform the global financial architecture are more urgent than ever, as the pace of progress of the SDGs varies significantly across country groups. Decent jobs, education and skills for the future, are essential for rewiring economies to combat the triple planetary crisis and to reduce inequalities within and between countries.

The implementation of the 2030 Agenda is a shared responsibility that requires strong leadership and for governments and society to work together through the active and meaningful participation and engagement of all stakeholders, in particular young people and regional and local authorities and cities, which play a key role in increasing resilience and achieving the SDGs.

Thank you.