Comhar, Sustainable Development Council - Ireland
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Comhar, Sustainable Development Council - Ireland (Comhar) |
Establishment and Mission
Council Members and Staff Members
Current and future activities
Present and Future Priority Fields
- National Development Plan (2007-2013): advice and recommendations on implementation, investment priorities and appropriate monitoring mechanisms, SD indicators and input on the various programme sectors. Comhar organised the Conference Towards Sustainability in the National Development Plan in October 2006;
- Climate Change: analysis and recommendations of the key priorities for the review, implementation and intensification of the measures in the National Climate Change Strategy; Input to the National Adaptation Strategy; Commissioned reserach on Cap and Share;
- Biodiversity: contributions to the implementation of the current Biodiversity Plan and to the drafting of the new Plan (2008-2013);
- Review of the National Sustainable Development Strategy: ongoing input to the development and implementation to the new Strategy to be published in 2008;
- Sustainable
Transport:
input to the development and implementation of a Sustainable Transport and
Travel Action Plan
- Awareness and Education: advice and recommendations on communicating sustainable development in a manner which is meaningful and understandable to the general public and link activities with the United Nations decade for education for sustainable development, Comhar Media Fund launched in 2008;
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International Issues: learning from international experience but also to input an Irish perspective. Collaboration with similar councils on the EEAC network on issues of common concern and develop the international aspects of Comhar's work following on from the World Summit on Sustainable Development;
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Consumption and production: research and advice commissioned in 2007 on the development a national policy on sustainable consumption and production;
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Sustainable Development indicators: research and recommendations commissioned in 2007 to assist the formulation of National sustainable development indicators.
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Background and Mission
Establishment
Comhar was founded in 1999 with the aim of advancing the national agenda for sustainable development, and contributing to the formation of a national consensus on the process. It started its third term in 2006 and the term lasts for three years, ending on 31st December 2008.
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Mission
Comhar is a non-statutory organisation but its mandate comes from the Minister for the Environment. Comhar works in partnership to encourage sustainable development across Irish economy and society, and to advises Government on policies which support and promote sustainable development.
Comhar is engaging with the national and EU policy agendas as well as undertaking outreach and awareness raising activities that involve key sectors and the general public. Comhar's Principles for Sustainable Development provide the overall guiding philosophy.
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Council Members
Comhar has 26 Council Members drawn from a wide range of nominating bodies representing stakeholders from the state sector, environmental NGOs, social and community NGOs, professional, academic and economic sectors. The chair serves for five years and the Council Members are appointed for three years. The composition was renewed in 2006 and the third term will end in 2009.
| Chairman Prof. Frank Convery |
Heritage Trust Professor of Environmental Policy in the School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Policy in University College Dublin |
| Pillar 1 State/Public Sector Noel Keyes* |
The Heritage Council |
| Tony Larkin | County and City Managers' Association |
| Tom O’Mahony | Environment Network of Government Departments |
| Laura Burke | Environment Protection Agency |
| Cllr. Therese Ridge | General Council of County Councils |
| Pillar 2 Economic Sectors Niamh Hunt |
Chambers of Commerce of Ireland |
| Donal Buckley* | Irish Business and Employers' Confederation |
| Liam Berney* | Irish Congress of Trade Unions |
| Emer Dunne | Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association |
| Ruaidhrí Deasy | Irish Famers' Association |
| Pillar 3 Environmental NGOs Elaine Nevin |
ECO UNESCO |
| Aoife Cassidy | Keep Ireland Open |
| Pat Finnegan | EENGOCF. Environmental NGO Core Funding Group comprising An Taisce; Coastwatch Ireland; Conservation Volunteers Ireland; Earthwatch; Feasta – Foundation for the Economics of Sustainability; Friends of the Irish Environment; Irish Doctors Environmental Association; Irish Peatland Conservation Council; Irish Wildlife Trust; Irish Women’s Environmental Network;Keep Ireland Open; VOICE |
| Anja Murray* | |
| Richard Douthwaite |
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| Pillar 4 Social/Community NGOs July Dunne* |
Consumers' Association of Ireland |
| Fr. Sean Healy | Conference of Religious in Ireland (CORI) |
| Ornagh Darcy | Irish Rural Dwellers Association |
| Matthew Seebach | National Youth Council of Ireland |
| Billy Murphy | PLANET |
| Pillar 5 Professional/Academic Sector Richard Moles* |
Environmental Sciences Association of Ireland |
| Caitriona Maguire | EnviroCentre Belfast |
| Eithne Diver* | Council of Directors of the Institutes of Technology |
| Carmel Sheridan | Royal Irish Academy |
| Emer Colleran | Royal Irish Academy |
* Three year appointment 1 May 2007 – 30 April 2010. Donald Buckle and Richard Moles served for the previous term and have been reappointed. The term of office of all other members is also three years due to that Comhar expire on 31 December 2008.
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Staff Members
The Chairman is assisted by a Bureau (representing each of the five pillars) in managing Comhar's business. Comhar has an executive/secretariat of four staff. Noel Casserly is the Director.
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Work Style
Tasks of the Council
- Stimulating
informed debate; achieving public visibility:
Various actions including, sponsorship of events and seminars (e.g.
workshops on education for sustainable development), annual conference
(e.g. annual conferences in 2006 and 2207 focused on implementing
sustainable development - key policy makers and stakeholders attended); wide circulation of
recommendations and issuing of press releases (e.g. in relation to review
of climate change strategy and also Budget 07);
- Assisting in the
preparation of national SD strategies: Comhar was invited to contribute to the 2002
review of the national sustainable development strategy and prepared a
substantial submission on the further review of the strategy in 2007.
Research on relevant
topics has been commissioned and published to help inform the Comhar recommendations;
- Contributing to
national and EU progress reviews: for example, Comhar hosted a national conference in
October 2006 on sustainability in the National Development Plan for
2007-2013; commissioned research and conference proceedings to be
published early 2007;
- The involvement of
civil society (How do councils involve civil society beyond their own
membership:
projects, awareness raising, elite communication; public space for mutual
learning): Comhar sponsors a
small number of events and programmes run by NGOs and other civil society
organisations, e.g. Comhar has recently provided some funding to the Cork
Environmental Forum to run community workshops in twelve small towns in
Cork. Comhar has also
sponsored a tool-kit on sustainability for teachers;
- Better linking of
different policies and policies levels. For example, Comhar has
recommended ex-ante sustainability assessment of major investment
decisions in areas such as transport in the new National Development Plan
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Substructure and Working Groups
Four new working groups are currently active:
- Awareness and Education;
- Biodiversity Forum;
- Climate Change;
- Sustainable Transport.
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Type of Advice
Comhar may address its recommendations to Ministers of the Government, Departments and other bodies, as well as to the general public. Comhar executive/secretariat commissions research or undertakes it in-house, prepares position papers to inform council decision-making; draft council recommendations that are submitted to Comhar Plenary for approval.
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Council Meetings
Comhar meets in Plenary session four times a year, at roughly quarterly intervals. This is the main forum in which work is finalised and decisions are taken. Minutes of the Plenary meetings once adopted by the following Plenary, are available to view. In 2007, the meetings are scheduled for 2nd April, 18th June, 24th September and 8th December.
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Activities in the EEAC Network
Comhar joined EEAC in 2003. It is represented on the EEAC Sustainable Development Strategy, Energy and Biodiversity Working Groups.
In 2004, together with the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Comhar co-hosted the Irish EU Presidency Conference on Challenges and Opportunities for Sustainable Development in EU 25 in Kinsale. Further information on the outcome of the Conference is available on www.Comharconference2004.ie.
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List of Selected Publications
You can search for the full list of policy advice in our Search Engine which also includes the titles in English of publications available in original language only.
- Cap and Share, Phase 1: policy options for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, Interim Final Report (May 2008);
- Response to the public consultation on the Sustainable Travel and Transportation Action Plan (May 2008);
- Conserving Ireland's Biodiversity, A submission on the Second National Biodiversity Plan, Biodiversity Forum Briefing Paper (April 2008);
- Comhar Response to consultation on National Energy Efficiency Action Plan (January 2008);
- Recommendations to Government for budget (2007);
- Recommendations on the review of the National Sustainable Development Strategy, Comhar SDC Position Paper (September 2007);
- Chairman's Commentary - Adapting to Climate Change, (August 2007);
- Towards Sustainability in the National Development Plan 2007–2013, (March 2007);
- Counting What Counts - A Report on Sustainable Development Indicators prepared for Comhar by Enviro Centre, (February 2007);
- Communicating climate change and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions - Recommendations to the Minister for the Environment, Heritage & Local Government, (February 2007);
- Consultation on proposed motor tax restructuring to include CO2-emissions differentiation (February 2007);
- Consultation on proposed vehicle registration tax restructuring to include CO2-emissions differentiation (February 2007);
- Research Project: Sustainable Consumption & Production – The art of the state, (2007);
- Recommendations on the
Energy Green Paper “Towards a Sustainable Energy Future for
- Recommendations on “Towards Sustainability” in Budget 2007, (November 2006);
- Sustainability in the National Development Plan 2007-2013 - Capital Investment in key sectoral areas - Recommendations from Comhar, (October 2006);
- Sustainability in the National Development Plan 2007-2013 - Capital Investment in key sectoral areas - Recommendations from Comhar, (October 2006);
- Ireland’s Pathway to Kyoto Compliance - Commentary and Recommendations – Comprising Proposals for Inclusion in a Revised National Climate Change Strategy, (September 2006);
- Comhar's analysis and recommendations on Sustainability in the National Development Plan 2007-13, (September 2006);
- Recommendation on the implementation and Review of the National Biodiversity Plan, (May 2005);
- Recommendations on the Implementation and Review of the National Biodiversity Plan, (May 2005);
- Recommendations on giving effect to EU directive 2003/4/EC on public access to environmental information, (February 2005);
- Submission to the European Commission on the review of the European Sustainable Development Strategy, (October 2004);
- Recommendations on the Review of Local Government Financing, (September 2004);
- Recommendations on Draft Guidelines for Rural Housing, (April 2004);
- Recommendations on Draft Guidelines on Strategic Environmental Assessment, (April 2004).
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Last updated: 05 August 2008.