The Centre for Global Development at UCC was launched in 2011 in support of UCC’s strategic commitment to adopt a global perspective in all of its activities, and recognising the existing diverse range of global development activities already taking place across the University. This commitment is renewed in UCC’s Strategic Plan for 2017-22. The main purpose of the CGD is to provide a forum to stimulate further engagement by staff and students in global development initiatives and to enable interdisciplinary cooperation in this mission across the University. The CGD aims to bring the concept of sustainable global development to the forefront of UCC activities.

Vision and Priorities

The CGD aims to promote a focus on addressing major global development challenges, informed by values of social justice, inclusivity and sustainability. In doing so the CGD will strengthen UCC’s role in promoting global citizenship and in attracting a multi-cultural student community.

Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals

In September 2015 the United Nations agreed the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), following an open and participatory process which was co-chaired by Ireland and Kenya. The SDGs are an ambitious set of 17 goals and 169 targets to guide global development until 2030. Unlike their forerunner, the Millenium Development Goals, the SDGs are universal in scope, and are a recognition that global development challenges, including poverty and hunger, climate change and massive inequalities in income and wealth require action and change in developed countries as well as in developing countries.

The SDGs provide an appropriate framework for much of the work of the CGD, drawing on the existing expertise and interests of UCC staff and students. However there are other pressing global development challenges not explicitly addressed by the SDGs where UCC has existing expertise, including the related areas of migration, rights of refugees and humanitarian action; and applications of ICTs for development.