A significant milestone occurred last week when Dublin Port Company (DPC) Chief Executive Barry O’Connell was joined at Dublin Port’s Substation by José Sanchez to mark the official signing of the Agenda 2030 by AIVP (International Association of Ports and Cities).
Mr Sanchez is the Director of the Agenda 2030 by AIVP and the event highlighted DPC’s dedication to integrating the port and the city through preservation of port heritage and identity, promotion of sustainable energy alternatives and protection of Dublin Bay’s biosphere.
AIVP’s 2030 Agenda is the world’s first initiative to adapt the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals for the specific context of port-city relations and was produced jointly between AIVP members, which include local, regional and national authorities, private enterprises, ports, universities and architectural firms, at the Quebec Conference in 2018.
The Agenda 2030 by AIVP is a comprehensive framework that seeks to develop sustainable port-city integration strategies across ten key goals. Each one of AIVP’s ten goals connect to the United Nations 2030 Agenda – which Ireland is signatory of – and to the holistic approach needed to reconnect ports with their respective cities along sustainable lines.
By signing the Agenda, DPC joins an international community of port cities in its support for each of ten goals agreed. The Agenda was signed in DPC’s newly refurbished Substation, a symbol of Port culture and identity which allows the public to view the original 18th-century sea wall which gives the East Wall its name. DPC is engaged in several initiatives to preserve Port culture and integrate the Port and the city. The Liffey-Tolka Project* will integrate the Port with the city through 6.3kms of pedestrian paths and cycleways, allowing parts of the Port estate to be accessible to the public like never before.
The ten key goals are climate change adaptation, energy transition and circular economy, sustainable mobility, renewed governance, investing in the human capital, port culture and identity, quality food for all, Port City Interface, health and life quality and protecting biodiversity.
DPC has also expressed its commitment to protecting the biodiversity of Dublin Bay, which is one of only two UNESCO biosphere reserves on the island of Ireland. It continues to support projects from Birdwatch Ireland and the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group to monitor the variety of species within the biosphere.
Barry O’Connell, CE DPC said: “Any Port should be a good neighbour to its city, and it is heartening to see this agreement mark an international consensus in this regard.”
José Sanchez, Director of Agenda 2030 by AIVP, said: “Dublin Port Company’s progressive steps towards sustainable port-city relations are a testament to their dedication to the long-term well-being of their community and the planet. Their unwavering commitment to the Agenda 2030 by AIVP is sure to inspire positive change in the global port city community.”
PHOTOS – Tommy Dickson
- Well known faces support the Breast Cancer Ireland Christmas Lunch
- Post-Party: “A good idea can be spontaneous and romantic”
- Your chance to become a part of the ‘Forever Young Festival’ owners
- ‘Grafton Street Lights’ by Aimée wins Kildare Village Christmas FM Song Contest 2023
- Tributes flow in for the late Jonathan Irwin, co-founder of The Jack and Jill Foundation
