A Year of Impact and Progress: Reflecting on 2025 for SDSN Ireland
From Vision to Action: SDSN Ireland drives SDG progress through collaboration, culture, and innovation
Thus far in 2025, SDSN Ireland has continued to strengthen its role as a hub for sustainability innovation, advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through dialogue, cultural engagement, and research for public policy. Over the first half of the year, the network’s activities have showcased the power of collaboration across disciplines and borders, while underscoring the importance of creativity and community in shaping responses to the climate crisis.
In January, SDSN Ireland launched its Thematic Working Groups. These groups were created in response to strong member demand, focusing on topics such as Arts & Sustainability, Research-Policy Interface, Sustainability Education, Net Zero, and Engaged Universities under development, and they are already providing new avenues for interdisciplinary collaboration.
In March, policy engagement was a major focus of SDSN Ireland, with the network’s participation in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) consultation on Policy Coherence for Sustainable Development (PCSD) in Dublin. The network contributed to the framing of Ireland’s Third National SDG Implementation Plan, highlighting the need for deeper local authority engagement, the rollout of Voluntary Local Reviews, and greater integration of SDGs into national frameworks. Read the full news story here.
In April, SDSN Ireland placed culture at the heart of its sustainability agenda. Supporting the Reach ’25 Festival in Belfast and the Sustainability in the Arts Festival in Waterford, the network underscored how artistic practice and storytelling can transform education, mobilise communities, and inspire climate action, demonstrating that creativity is essential to the sustainability movement.
Later in April, SDSN Ireland also strengthened its European partnerships. A visit to SDSN Portugal provided opportunities to exchange strategies for localising the SDGs, including site visits in Braga and Guimarães, where innovative tools such as the Municipal Sustainability Index and carbon tracking platforms were showcased. The exchange is already bearing fruit, with SDSN Ireland contributing to a webinar on EU Climate Neutral Cities by 2050.
May marked a turning point in collaborative action at both local and cultural levels. At Kilkenny Castle, the All-Island Local Authority Forum brought together SDSN Ireland members, local governments, and higher education institutions for an all-day, high-impact event to explore how universities can best support evidence-based climate strategies and build lasting cross-border partnerships.
Later in May, members also participated in two transformative gatherings in Dublin and Cork that placed the humanities at the centre of sustainability discussions. These events at the Royal Irish Academy and University College Cork highlighted how storytelling, artistic practice, and interdisciplinary exchange can reframe dominant narratives and inspire more human-centred responses to the climate crisis.
In June, the momentum reached a new milestone with a high-level members’ meeting convened at the Department of Climate, Energy and Environment in Dublin. Bringing together policymakers, academics, and civil society leaders, the meeting focused on strengthening cooperation for SDG implementation, advancing research–policy integration, expanding Thematic Working Groups, and fostering new university-government partnerships. This event reaffirmed SDSN Ireland’s growing position as a convener and catalyst for sustainability-driven transformation.
As 2025 progresses, SDSN Ireland continues to bridge research, policy, and culture, demonstrating that the SDGs are not only a framework for governance but also a shared vision that can unite communities, inspire innovation, and drive systemic change.