How are we meeting our sustainable development goals in Offaly?

Offaly Local Development Company’s CEO, Brendan O'Loughlin and team leaders Siobhan Broderick and Roisin Lennon, recently welcomed Senator Pippa Hackett to a presentation of a report titled ‘Mapping our Sustainable Goals –An Offaly Local Development Company Perspective 2021’.

For many of us the sustainable development Goals are a new concept and one that we perhaps leave to others to interpret and implement. We may not realise that in the work we do in our communities and to help others around us, we are achieving some of the goals in our everyday lives. What started as a curiosity to explore whether and how Offaly Local Development Company meets the Sustainable Development Goals developed into a mapping exercise of OLDC programmes over a three year period 2018-2020. The report is the result of the review of actions of Offaly Local Development Company to reach the SDGs.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were developed in response to a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity. 193 UN Member Countries including Ireland adopted the SDGs in 2015, with 169 targets and around 17 high level goals. The SDGs are applicable to all countries, developed and developing, and action is required for their implementation both domestically and internationally. Ireland is committed to implementing the SDGs, and published its first SDG National Implementation Plan 2018-2020 in July 2018. In putting these principles into practice, Ireland pledges that ‘no one will be left behind’ and that we will endeavour to reach ‘the furthest behind’ first

The outcomes of these programmes were mapped against the SDGs: Social Inclusion Community Activation Programme (SICAP), Leader, TUS and Rural Social. These actions included individuals and communities across Offaly and SDGs achieved include: Quality education, affordable and clean energy, decent work and economic growth, reduced inequalities. Welcoming the report, Senator Hackett added ‘I think it’s really important to highlight how we are reaching those SDG’s in our work’ and welcomed the recommendations in the report which suggest ways of recording achievements and reporting to national level within the programmes. Brendan O Loughlin outlined two case studies focused on a sustainable future for Offaly that are included in the report; Green Offaly and the development of community wetlands – Tullamore River. These projects demonstrate that in-depth collaborative work is underway in Offaly to innovate and provide platforms for further achievements against SDGs.

For further information on the report please contact info@offalyldc.ie