Ireland joins world in Lighting the Way for Global Goals Summit

Over 150 people from all walks of life gathered on the Millennium Bridge in Dublin at 8:00pm to join citizens around the world in calling on governments to commit to the new Sustainable Development Goals and tackle the most urgent issues of our time – poverty, inequality and climate change.

The event was one of over 150 taking place in cities globally as part of action/2015’s #LightTheWay action ahead of the historic gathering of world leaders in New York, on 25 September, for the adoption of the Global Sustainable Development Goals.

Ireland has played a key role in the process of negotiating these new “Global Goals”, acting as co-facilitators with Kenya of the high level international negotiations in New York over the past year. 

In a message of support the President Michael D. Higgins said: “It is my hope that by 2030, we will look back on the 25 September 2015 as a decisive moment in global history. It is the task of all of us – elected representatives, NGO workers, students, activists and concerned citizens – to ensure that governments genuinely implement the post-2015 sustainable development agenda and the interlinked climate action plan that will emerge from COP21 this December in Paris, and that they put monitoring in place that will enable us all to turn the agreements into a reality for this and future generations.”

The Minister for Overseas Development, Trade, and North South Co-operation, Seán Sherlock TD said: “The new Sustainable Development Goals can mark a turning point for humanity. They provide us with a comprehensive plan for a fairer world for all, while caring for and protecting our planet. I am immensely proud of Ireland’s role in this process – as co-chairs (with Kenya) of the final negotiations. The new Goals were informed by citizens of many countries; and it is only through continued citizen engagement that the Sustainable Development Goals will be achieved. I am therefore delighted to see so many gathered at this Light The Way event. I join you in welcoming the Sustainable Development Goals, and calling for their full implementation.”

Eoin O’Liathain, one of Ireland’s first ever UN Youth Delegates who will participate in the UN Summit in New York said: “These new global goals affect and unite us all. Their adoption is a momentous and proud moment in world history. For a planet where more than half of the world's population is under 30 years old, young people in particular will have an essential role in bringing about the transformative change which the goals promise. Failure to act will have grave consequences for all our futures. These new goals are lighting the way forward, everyone must work to make them a reality.”

Speaking on behalf of the coalition who organised the event, Robin Hanan, Director of the European Anti-Poverty Network Ireland, said: “We are on the brink of something historic. This is a once-in-a-generation agreement to tackle the most pressing issues of our time, poverty, inequality and climate change. It is crucial that our leaders commit to these Goals and take urgent action to deliver an equal, safe and secure future for all citizens both here in Ireland and worldwide.’’

The #LightTheWay action involved tens of thousands of people and was backed by high profile figures such as Desmond Tutu, Malala Yousafzai, and Stephen Hawking. Events took place around the world throughout the day. The gathering in Dublin was the last in Europe before the final light show `under one sky’ in Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, a stone’s throw from the UN building in New York.

See the full message from President Michael D. Higgins here

Members of the coalition supporting #LightThe Way include: Dóchas, Irish Development Education Association (IDEA), Challenging the Crisis, Trócaire, Oxfam, the National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI), All Together in Dignity (ATD) Ireland, European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN) Ireland, Age Action Ireland, Comhlámh, Claiming our Future, 350.org, People's Climate Ireland, Just Forests, Shamrock Spring, Amawele Ireland, Tearfund, WorldWise Global Schools, and Global Schoolroom.

Launch of IDEA's Theory of Impact for GCE

September 26, 2025
Date: Tuesday, 04 November, from 3.30–4.30pm Location: Online via Zoom IDEA is thrilled to invite members to the online launch of our new “Theory of Impact for Global Citizenship Education” on Tuesday, 04 November, from 3.30–4.30pm, Online via Zoom. During this session, we will present the model, share insights into the process behind its development, and explore how it will be used to strengthen impact across the sector. We will also introduce a new tool in progress, an interactive data visualisation map designed to showcase our collective impact as a network. For many years, IDEA and its members have been grappling with the concept of impact in Development Education/Global Citizenship Education (hereinafter ‘GCE’). As GCE practitioners, tracking impact helps us to identify how, where and with whom our work is creating positive change, as well as investigating areas in which our impact could be stronger. Furthermore, we can also benefit from examining the collective impact of GCE carried out by the wide-ranging work of IDEA members, and from exploring how these impacts contribute to the major social changes to which the GCE community aspires. Driven therefore by the need to understand how projects and programmes are collectively “making a difference” in IDEA we looked at models that could help us visualise and capture GCE “impact networks”. We formulated our vision of impact and then a theory of how we expect this desired impact to be achieved to allow us to map our activities and collect data to corroborate that theory. This Theory of Impact model is how we hope to illustrate this complex GCE impact network. Building on work done by IDEA over many years including building sectoral capacity in using Results Frameworks for GCE, our Quality & Impact working group, engagement with Irish Aid on their Performance Measurement Framework (PMF), and the successful roll-out of a Code of Good Practice for DE/GCE, this Theory of Impact represent the next stage of our effort to ‘develop a consistent approach to measuring impact among the sector’. We are therefore thrilled to invite you to the presentation of our ‘Theory of Impact for GCE’. At this online presentation, we will tell you about the process that led to the creation of this model, how it will be used and what we hope it could bring to the sector. We will also touch on a new tool being developed based on the model, which should allow the creation of an interactive data visualisation map of our collective impact as a network. Join us as we launch into this exciting new phase of our Impact Measurement work. Join us as we begin this exciting new phase of our Impact Measurement work. Register below!

IDEA Advocacy Toolkit and GCE Policy Guide Workshop, November

September 26, 2025
Date: 11 November, 10.30am – 4.30pm. Location: IDEA offices, 6 Gardiner Row IDEA launched its new Advocacy Toolkit and GCE Policy Guide resource pack in early March. The advocacy toolkit and policy guide were developed for IDEA members to strengthen their capacity to effectively advocate with policymakers and to actively engage in policy processes on GCE in Ireland and the wider world. IDEA will facilitate a full-day in-person workshop on these resources in the IDEA offices on Tuesday, 11 November ,10.30am – 4.30pm. Places are limited to 20 participants and will be given on a first come, first served basis. Please note that this is a repeat of the workshop that took place in May and is aimed at members who did not have the opportunity to participate in May. A vegetarian lunch will be provided. Register below!

Workshop: Brave Spaces for Racial Justice

September 26, 2025
Date: 06 November a nd 18 November from 3.30–4.30pm Location: IDEA offices, 6 Gardiner Row, Dublin 1 Due to positive feedback following a workshop during our annual conference, we are thrilled to invite members to a full 2-part interactive workshop about “Racial Justice” on 06 November and 18 November. This event will take place in-person in Dublin. Our facilitators Bronwyn April and Mdahyelya Bassi will guide participants through a critical exploration of the interconnections between racial justice, philanthropy, migration, and decolonisation within global and Irish contexts. The workshop will delve into how historical and ongoing colonial legacies influence contemporary issues of racial equity and social justice in Ireland and beyond. The dates for this event are fast approaching, so if you have any specific accessibility requirements, please email events@ideaonline.ie as soon as possible. Places for this event are limited, and registration is mandatory. Deadline to register is Monday, 04 November. Register below!