IFLA was represented at the 2023 International Telecommunications Union Regional Development Forum for Africa, engaging with regulators, businesses, academics and civil society partners to make the case for libraries to be integrated into wider digital inclusion plans, and so realise their potential to become community innovation and co-creation hubs.
Libraries are set to play a significant role at the upcoming ITU Regional Development Forum for Africa 2023, under the theme "Digital transformation for a sustainable and equitable digital future: Accelerating the implementation of the SDGs in Africa." This event is organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in collaboration with the Ministry of Innovation and Technology in Ethiopia, and it is scheduled to take place from October 3rd to 5th, 2023.
Drawing on the insights provided in the publication "The Government Information Landscape in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities for Improvement", IFLA presented on the role of libraries at the African Peer Review Mechanism's African Governance Seminar, highlighting our contribution to open governance goals. We are grateful to Nerisa Kumar, Information Africa Organization, for attending and providing this report.
IFLA was active at the 2022 Internet Governance Forum, held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, speaking both in UNESCO sessions on Internet Universality Indicators, and the Dynamic Coalition on Public Access in Libraries session on inclusive internet governance.
This year's Internet Governance Forum (IGF) focuses on the topic of Resilient Internet for a Shared Sustainable and Common Future. IFLA will be present, working to underline how libraries represent an essential link in the chain between internet access, resilience, and inclusiveness.