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Policy issues concerning Civil Society

UN Climate Action Summit 2019 - what commitments will Ireland make?

23rd September 2019

The UN Climate Action Summit 2019 begins in New York today.  The purpose of the summit is for countries who signed the Paris Agreement in 2015 to bring concrete, realistic and effective plans to meet 2020 targets and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45 per cent in the next ten years.  What plan does Ireland have to fully transform the economy in line with the sustainable development goals?

Billions lost in potentially environmentally damaging subsidies while Ireland waits for a Just Transition

2nd September 2019

Ireland has signed up to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 and is committed to legally binding climate commitments in 2020 and 2030.  We have a national commitment to be carbon neutral by 2050 yet we spend up to €4 billion every year on potentially environmentally damaging subsidies.

Social Justice Ireland welcomes the launch of the National Social Enterprise Policy

19th July 2019

Social Justice Ireland welcomed the launch by Minister Michael Ring, Minister for Rural and Community Development, of the National Social Enterprise Policy yesterday (18th July 2019).  We, with others in the Community and Voluntary Pillar, have advocated for the introduction of such a Policy for a long time and we look forward to working with the Department of Rural and Community Development and other stakeholders on its implementation.

Social Justice Ireland's 5 policy priorities for our newly elected MEPs

29th May 2019

Social Justice Ireland wishes our newly elected MEPs every success.  This is a pivotal time for the future of the European Union and MEPs play a key role in ensuring that social and environmental sustainability and the Sustainable Development Goals are at the heart of Europe's future.   To this end we have formulated Five Key Policy Asks for our MEPs in conjunction with Trocaire. They are:

  1. The Elimination of Poverty
  2. The Championing of Climate Justice
  3. Policy Coherence on the SDGs
  4. Delivery on the European Pillar of Social Rights
  5. Supporting an international treaty on Business and Human Rights

Dealing with the diverse issues raised in the Local and European elections

27th May 2019

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The local and European elections threw up a variety of diverse issues many of which seem to be at odds with each other.  Concerns among voters about the impact of climate change and about the future of agriculture and livelihood of farmers may seem incompatible at first glance, but yet they are both very important issues to different sectors of society.  What these elections remind us is that a comprehensive policy framework is required to make progress on these issues and deliver a better future for everyone.

Local government has the potential to transform our communities – time to harness this potential and deliver more power locally

13th May 2019

Local government has the potential to transform our communities but that potential is not being realised.  It is time to harness this potential and deliver more power locally.

Sustainable local development – how can we make it happen?

25th February 2019


We are facing into local elections in May 2019. Sustainable local development should be a key policy issue on the local government agenda.

Time to implement policies to meet Sustainable Development Goal #1 - No Poverty

17th October 2018

17th of October is the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.  In this era of increasing global wealth and economic growth it is important to highlight the large numbers of people living in poverty both here in Ireland and globally.  It is also a day to point to the policy options available that can improve the living conditions for all.  We can and should implement these policies without delay.

Supporting Civil Society Organisations – Our submission on the future of the SSNO grant

14th June 2018

The role of civil society and the Community and Voluntary sector cannot be overstated in progressing societal and environmental issues at national level.  Through the expansion and reform of the SSNO grant, the Department of Rural and Community Development can support organisations to progress this important work towards a fairer, more just society.  Read Social Justice Ireland's submission to the Department here.

Research Institute urges UK Government to adopt Basic Income

23rd January 2018

Current welfare systems were not designed to adapt to the challenges presented by automation and globalisation and are not fit for purpose. That's the view of a new paper from the Adam Smith Institute in the UK published to coincide with the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos this week. The institute argues that governments should look to Universal Basic Income (UBI) experiments around the world as they seek to address the risks posed by large-scale changes to the labour market while retaining the benefits of trade and technological progress.

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