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FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Update October 8 2026

Dear Members,

Welcome to Coalition 2030 October newsletter. We had a very fruitful public meeting in Buswells around Securing Future Generations and Coalition 2030's attempts to get the Future Generations Commission Bill back on the agenda. This took place during SDG Week which had the highest number of registered events to date. Coalition 2030 were represented at the SDG Watch Europe event which showed the importance of building international collaborations.

A dedicated page was set up on the website In the lead up to Budget 2027 showing members submissions.

The Coalition 2030 Member Project Grant application process is now open. If you haven't received the email about this and are a member please contact me ASAP as the deadline is Friday 16th October.

We are also in the process of preparing a members survey and our next Plenary meeting is scheduled for Nov.18

Securing Future Generations Meeting

There was a very healthy turnout at our recent Public meeting in Buswells, many thanks to those who turned up on the day. The event was introduced by our Chair Bernie Connolly, and featured video support from David Donoghue and Broombridge Educate Together National School. All panellists spoke very eloquently on the topic and we have received some traction from the political establishment to get this back on the agenda.

The next steps are to initiate a meeting of the Long Term Governance Hub and seek an audience with the Oireachtas Committee on Children and Equality as the bill is now with the Committee.

Speakers on the day were as follows

Panel 1 - Making Long term Governance Work

• Trish Lavery (Centre for Future Generations)
• Ciarán Ahern (Labour Party)
• Roderic O’Gorman (Green Party)
• Beth McEvoy (Queens University Belfast, futures and foresight)
• Niall McGuirk (Coalition 2030)

Panel 2 - Imagining The Future

• Emily O’Brien (Airfield Youth Board Member)
• Lars Westra - EU Youth Ambassador  
• Bukky Adebowale (Irish network Against racism)
• Johnathan Hann (Secretary, Disabled Persons Organisation)
• Yvonne Murphy (Democracy Box)

SDG Week September 18 - 27 2026

Our members engaged heavily in SDG Week this year, it was the most sucessful one yet due to the large increase in the number of events. Thanks to all those who put an event on or somehow amplifies the voice of the SDG's during this period.

Coalition 2030 member events included offerings from An Taisce, Create Ireland, Dark Sky Ireland , Fairtrade, Stand, Development Perspectives, Rediscovery Centre, IDEA, Galway University, UCD, and Concern. Also that week Coalition 2030 were represented at the Health for Humanity event in the Royal College of Surgeons and the European Sustainable Development Network Conference, held in Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment .

Climate Action Week is taking place this year between the 12th and 18th of October. This doesn't just relate to SDG 13 it also spreads far and wide throughout many of the SDG's including SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation, SDG 14; Life Below Water and SDG15: Life on Land. There are many events being planned for the week so look out for one near you. The week is being coordinated by Coalition 2030 members, An taisce, and more information is available here https://climateactionweek.ie/

Budget 2027

In advance of this weeks Budget a dedicated page was set up on the website showing members submissions. Some of these suggestions showed up in the budget, especially The Wheel's recommendation around increasing the VAT threshold for Charitable Institutions. However as Social Justice Ireland pointed out in their post budget analysis the rich-poor gap has widened by €334 per annum. As we seek to leave no-one behind and reach the furthest behind first this increase in the gap is a cause for concern. Also the National Womens Council, while welcoming the focus on childcare and acknowledging the introduction of a Cost of Disability payment, cautioned that the €500 one off payment is a long way off bridging the actual inequalities and the childcare focus will not address the structural issues within the childcare system. Our members in the International and Humanitarian Pillar welcomed the fact that Overseas Development Aid was increasing by €14 but cautioned this was still a long way off the 0.7% target in SDG17. The Environmental Pillar stated that “Ireland’s continued reliance on fossil fuels is leaving households exposed to repeated external shocks and volatile energy prices, with many struggling to meet the cost of essential energy needs" and expressed disappointment at the removal of carbon tax “Coming on the heels of the recent public transport fare hikes, it appears that the Government’s resolve for a just transition to tackle the climate crisis has weakened"

Members News

Coalition 2030 member Foodcloud spoke at the previously mentioned RCSI Health for Humanity event. They were the winners of the "Healthy Sustainable Service or Product" award at the recent Business Post Sustainable Business Awards for their AIB FoodCloud Community Meals Programme. Launched in 2023, the programme transforms perfectly good surplus ingredients into ready-made, nutritious meals for charities and community groups that may not have the kitchen facilities or resources to prepare meals themselves. By tackling food waste and food insecurity at the same time, the programme aims to redistribute 200,000 Community Meals to communities across Ireland.

'Traveller Road to Hope & Change' is a new documentary made by Josh and Ethan Donoghue. It is a collaboration between Exchange House Ireland, Pavee Point and the Traveller Counselling Service

It captures the story of the first year of the Traveller Road to Hope & Change Campaign: the campaign’s community-led approach, the voices and experiences behind it, and the collective effort of Travellers and allies working together to promote hope, suicide prevention and positive change.



https://youtu.be/srzkUbETfZE

Look out for an upcoming survey for our members about our work and what we can all do to promote the SDG's.

Many thanks for reading this far, a reminder if you have any upcoming events please let me know and I can put them on the website. Please continue to advocate for the SDG’s in whatever way you can. Let’s get them back out there and continue to press for their implementation.

In solidarity,

Niall McGuirk

Coordinator, Coalition 2030

niall@coalition2030.ie

Send any questions or comments to niall@coalition2030.ie