Minister Ryan announces Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Champions for 2023-2024
The Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan TD, has appointed 26 organisations from across society as leaders in driving forward Ireland’s progress towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The organisations have been appointed as part of the 2023-2024 SDG Champions Programme, developed to raise public awareness of the SDGs and to demonstrate that everyone in society can make a contribution to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The role of an SDG Champion is to act as an advocate and promoter of the SDGs and a good practice example of how an organisation can contribute to the SDGs and integrate them into their work and activities.
Speaking about the launch, Minister Ryan said:
“I am delighted to be relaunching the SDG Champions programme for 2023-2024. We are facing major challenges in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, with unprecedented pressures on our planet, economy and society, as well as the impacts brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic. Now is the time to accelerate action towards achieving the goals, to build back better while leaving no-one behind.
“The SDG Champions Programme recognises that the SDGs are for everyone and that everyone can make a contribution to their success. Over 80 organisations applied to take part in the programme this year, underlining the readiness of Irish society to assist in ensuring that Ireland becomes a global leader in achieving the goals. Achieving the SDG targets by 2030 is a collective task that cannot be accomplished without partnership. My Department looks forward to a successful collaboration with this year’s champions, as we work together to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda in Ireland.”
The 26 champions appointed under this year’s programme consist of 22 newly appointed organisations, along with four former SDG Champions who have chosen to continue the role cut short by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Champions have been selected from across the public, private, community, voluntary, youth and NGO sectors and are represented by larger, national organisations and smaller, community groups.
The 26 SDG Champions for the 2023/2024 Programme are listed below. To arrange media interviews or request a comment, please contact the individual Champion organisations directly.
| Name of Champion organisation | Contact email | County/Counties |
| An Post | PressOffice@anpost.ie | National |
| An Taisce | smccormackcooney@eeu.antaisce.org | National |
| AONTAS | dlawless@aontas.com | National |
| Ballyhoura Development CLG | jpitcherfarrell@ballyhoura.org | Co. Limerick |
| Chambers Ireland | james.kiernan@chambers.ie | National |
| Clare County Council | sdgs@clarecoco.ie | Co. Clare |
| Credit Unions | dmalone@creditunion.ieagrant@creditunion.ie | National |
| Development Perspectives | bobby@developmentperspectives.ie | Co. Louth |
| ECO-UNESCO | elaine.nevin@ecounesco.ie | National |
| Football Association of Ireland (FAI) | des.tomlinson@fai.ie | National |
| Fáilte Ireland | communications@failteireland.ie | National |
| Fair Seas | info@fairseas.ie | National |
| Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) | jimmy.darcy@gaa.ie greenclubs@gaa.ie | National |
| Iarnród Éireann – Irish Rail | barry.kenny@irishrail.ie | National |
| Jiminy Eco Toys | sharon@jiminy.ie | National |
| Macra na Feirme | jarthur@macra.ie | National |
| Musgrave | julie.dorel@musgrave.ie | National |
| National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) | Valerie@nyci.ie | National |
| Peter McVerry Trust | lminion@pmvtrust.ie | National |
| RTÉ | eileen.duggan@rte.ie | National |
| Rush Tidy Towns | tidytownsrush@gmail.com | Co. Dublin |
| Sustainable Life School | thesustainablelifeschool@gmail.com | National |
| TESCO Ireland | Deirdre.farrelly@tesco.comorla.molloy@tesco.com | National |
| The Heritage Council | aharvey@heritagecouncil.ie | National |
| TIER Mobility | Press@tier.app | International |
| University of Galway | sustainability@universityofgalway.ie | Co. Galway |
Find out more about the 2023-2024 SDG Champions Programme at: https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/cc350-sdg-champions-2023/
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
In September 2015, all 193 United Nations Member States adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (“Transforming our World”). The 2030 agenda is a plan of action for people, planet and prosperity. The focus of the 2030 agenda is the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their 169 targets.
The goals cover policy areas such as poverty eradication, health, education, gender equality, protection of the environment, sustainable economic growth and circular economy, peaceful societies and global partnership.
For information on Ireland and the SDGs please see: http://www.gov.ie/sdgs/.
For more information on the United Nations and the SDGs, please see: https://sdgs.un.org/goals.
Selection process for the 2023-2024 SDG Champions Programme
The call for expressions of interest to take part in the 2023-2024 SDG Champion’s Programme opened on 1st December 2022 and closed on Friday, 20th January. 82 applications were received from local and national organisations across the country. A final shortlist of 22 Champions was selected by a sub-group of the Sustainable Development Goals Interdepartmental Working Group (IDWG) for the 2023 iteration of the programme.
The number of champions for 2023-2024 was extended from 12 in the 2019 programme to 22 in 2023-2024 programme, to allow for a wider selection across society and more balanced sectoral representation across public, private, community, voluntary, youth and NGO sectors. Former champions from the 2019-2020 Programme were also given the option to participate in the programme for another year, an experience cut short due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
SDG Champions Programme
Established in 2019, the SDG Champions Programme was developed as an initiative to raise public awareness, showcase work being carried out by appointed organisations to progress the SDGs and illustrate practical ways in which organisations and individuals can contribute to achieving the SDGsand demonstrate that everyone in society can make a contribution to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Following an open call for expressions of interest in 2019, 12 champions were chosen to take part in Ireland’s first SDG Champions Programme.
National Implementation Plan
The programme was established as part of the first National Implementation Plan for the Sustainable Development Goals, which set out the overarching national governance, coordination and monitoring framework for the SDGs. The relaunch was a commitment under the recently published Second National Implementation Plan, which sets out five strategic objectives and 51 actions, with 119 individual measures to increase Ireland’s ambition and strengthen implementation structures to achieve the SDGs.