As the world grapples with the impact of overlapping crises, in September 2023, at the United Nations, political leaders will gather to take stock of their collective progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. While great progress has been made on a number of fronts, this has stalled in recent years, with new challenges reversing gains made towards achieving Agenda 2030. The pronounced increase in food prices, the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the devastation caused by climate change and the spread of conflict are wreaking havoc on the lives and livelihoods of the world’s poorest people. There has been a huge impact on levels of hunger and malnutrition, on levels of sexual violence, on access to education, and on women and girls in particular.

In his address, Minister of State for International Development and the Diaspora, Seán Fleming, T.D. sets out Ireland’s response to these interlinked challenges. The Irish Government is implementing an ambitious and targeted response in 2023, underpinned by its largest ever allocation for Official Development Assistance. This response remains guided by the principles and priorities of A Better World – Ireland’s Policy for International Development- across its diplomacy, humanitarian response and development interventions – while recognising that for people in Africa and around the world, bearing the weight of these burdens is proving unsustainable.