Stay up to date with our latest developments, initiatives, and new resources!
Stockholm+50 is a key international environmental meeting coming up on 2-3 June with the theme: “Stockholm+50: a healthy planet for the prosperity of all – our responsibility, our opportunity”.
In September, ministers and other key cultural policy decision-makers will meet in Mexico City for MONDIACULT 2022 to discuss how they can better promote sustainable development. The Culture 2030 Goal campaign, of which IFLA is a member, has released a statement in preparation for this.
IFLA participated actively in the Regional Forum for Sustainable Development for Europe, which included a strong emphasis on promoting resilience and ensuring a strong and inclusive future. Maia Simonishvili, member of the Europe Regional Division Committee, participated, using the opportunity to place libraries on the agenda, gather insights, and build connections.
IFLA's recent ResiliArt x Mondiacult event added a library perspective to a worldwide discussion on culture's role in tackling global challenges. The outcomes of this event will help inform the agenda of the upcoming UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development, Mondiacult 2022.
Against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine and the global climate crisis publishers and organisations from across the book sector will come together at Bologna Children’s Book Fair to celebrate the completion of the Sustainable Development Goals Book Club and its 17 reading lists for children focusing on peace, ending poverty, protecting life on land and many more.
IFLA welcomed the UN Special Rapporteur in the field of Cultural Rights Alexandra Xanthaki as she addressed the Human Rights Council for the first time during their 49th Session. An IFLA representative sat down with the Special Rapporteur following her address to discuss priorities for the coming years and highlight the ways in which libraries work to uphold cultural rights for their communities.
ResiliArt x Mondiacult is coming to IFLA! Take part in this exploration of how libraries help enable the discovery, creation, and enjoyment of diverse expressions of culture to be a part of everyday life.
Every year around the Sustainable Development Goals is a busy one, with 2022 no exception! There will be key opportunities to work through the structures and meetings around the Goals to ensure that governments and other stakeholders understand the contribution that libraries can make, and what they need to do it. This article looks to provide an idea of the themes that are likely to be at the top of the agenda this year, as well as two key ways of getting involved – through reviews of SDG implementation and engagement in key meetings.
The UNESCO Online Consultation on Cultural Policies for the Africa Region was held on 31 January and 1 February, hosted by the Republic of Senegal. IFLA was represented, making the case for libraries to be involved, from the design to the delivery of cultural policies and strategies.
Engaging around the Sustainable Development Goals represents a powerful way both of thinking through how libraries contribute to achieving policy goals, and building up networks and recognition by governments. We've brought together information about what's going on around the Untied Nations 2030 Agenda at the moment, as well as relevant materials produced by IFLA. Take a look through for more!
Through our work around the Sustainable Development Goals, IFLA argues that libraries are essential partners for development, and should be integrated into planning and implementation. Voluntary National Reviews provide a particular opportunity to set out where these partnerships stand, and how we can go further. We interviewed colleagues in Jamaica to find out more about how libraries are being involved in Review preparation there.
In September 2022, UNESCO will convene the World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development – Mondiacult 2022, hosted in Mexico City. IFLA will help bring the voices of the library and information profession to these discussions is through an upcoming virtual event: ResiliArt x Mondiacult – Libraries enabling inclusive and meaningful access to culture.
On the International Day of Education (24 January), the UN calls for transformation – a reimagining of the world’s education systems to realise the fundamental right to education for all and build a more inclusive, peaceful, and sustainable future.
The United Nations 2030 Agenda is not just a document for governments, rather it sets out responsibilities for everyone, including libraries! However, it is not always easy to make the connection between high-level policy documents and day-to-day library operations. We interviewed Natalice Cardoso, to find out about her work in engaging libraries in questions around the Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals
A new Culture2030Goal Campaign report explores how effectively local and regional governments are placing culture at the heart - and even the start - of their efforts to deliver on the United Nations 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals.
A new briefing provides insights on a key UN document on sustainability which provides a potential framework for securing greater recognition and new partnerships for libraries and library and information professionals.
UNESCO’s 41st General Conference has ended. This biennial meeting brings together representatives of the Member States, alongside observers from non-Member States, intergovernmental organisations, and non-governmental organisations, to determine the policies and the main lines of work of UNESCO.
IFLA was proud to join the Climate Heritage Network in a series of events that brought the voices of cultural heritage and cultural institutions to the table – highlighting the sector’s critical role in powering climate action.
At the 2021 World Library and Information Congress (WLIC), Andrew Potts, coordinator of the Secretariat of the Climate Heritage Network, gave the keynote speech for the Libraries Sustain thematic track of the Congress.