Strategic Vision for Galway City, SDGs, Public Sector Duty and UNCRPD
Strategic Vision for Galway City
Galway is a unique city given its location, unique characteristics and, in particular, its relationship with the river, sea and canals. This should be at the core of the vision for the planning and design of the city and its neighbourhoods.
GCCN requests that the following be included under the Strategic Goals 1.2:
- The Council will set out a vision for planning and design for the city by placing the unique features of Galway, particularly the city’s relationship with the river, sea and canals, at the heart of the vision for planning (p.14).
Sustainable Development Goals
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are mentioned in the Core Strategy of the plan (‘implementation of the Core strategy and the policies and objectives of the Development Plan will advance the aims of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’) and each chapter title page includes one or more SDG decals. Ireland has committed to achieving the SDGs by 2030. Given that this plan will cover the period up to the beginning of 2029, it is this development plan that must achieve the most progress in realising the goals fully.
However, there are no specific targets or indicators from the Global Indicator Framework included with no evidence as to how the actions relate to the realisation of the goals.
Recommendation:
- Each chapter in the Development Plan must set out clearly, in measurable terms, how the policies therein are consistent with Ireland’s commitment to achieve the SDGs by 2030. Each chapter should include specific actions, targets with indicators from the Global Indicator Framework which they relate to. These clearly specified indicators can be used to monitor the progress of the Development Plan in achieving the SDGs during its lifetime.
GCCN also requests that the following be added to Policy 1.1 United Nations Sustainability Goals (p.15)
- The Council will identify a range of appropriate indicators, selected from among the SDG Global Framework of Indicators, for each of the SDGs to enable progress towards their achievement to be monitored.
- All actions will be benchmarked against in the Sustainable Development Goals with targets and evidence as to how the actions relate to the realisation of the goals.
Public Sector Equality and Human Rights Duty
There is no mention of the Public Sector Equality and Human Rights Duty within the plan despite it being referenced in the CE’s report: ‘A number of submissions make reference to obligations set out under the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Public Sector Equality and Human Rights Duty and the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (UNCRPD).’
The Public Sector Equality and Human Rights Duty (‘the Duty’) places a statutory obligation on public bodies to eliminate discrimination, promote equality of opportunity and protect the human rights of those to whom they provide services and staff when carrying out their daily work. It puts equality and human rights in the mainstream of how public bodies execute their functions. This is a legal obligation and it originated in Section 42 of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Act 2014.
The Galway City Development Plan needs to take cognisance of the Duty in its design implementation and monitoring and that the human rights and equality concerns of the communities identified by the Duty and named in Irish equality legislation are assessed, addressed and reported on in all planning.
Recommendation:
- The following specific policy must be included in the Development Plan in Chapter 1: The Council will undertake its required Public Sector Duty Assessment, across all aspects of the Councils responsibilities, within year 1 of the new plan being adopted.
UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (UNCRPD)
GCCN welcomes the commitment to ‘work with relevant stakeholders to support the implementation of the UNCRPD at local level’. However, legally it is Galway City Council’s duty to implement the UNCRPD to ensure the full equality of people with disabilities in Galway City. The language in the plan should reflect this legal obligation and be changed from ‘to support the implementation’ to ‘to implement’.
Recommendations:
GCCN request that Inclusion of the following under Policy 7.3 Inclusive City:
- The Council will develop a comprehensive Access Strategy through engagement with disabled people and disability organisations.
- The Council will establish a coordination mechanism in line with requirements set out in UNCRPD. The Council will appoint a dedicated Access Officer to implement the Access Strategy