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Following the UN’s Transforming Education Summit in September 2022, the UNESCO Section for Education for Sustainable Development has launched a global, multistakeholder partnership to coordinate efforts to get every learner climate ready.
Libraries had a strong presence at the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development, through engagement in sessions, direct contact with delegates, and a side-event focused on how libraries empower people to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
As part of the UN Science, Technology and Innovation Forum, IFLA was proud to host a side-event focused on how libraries help make open science work in ways that maximise its contribution to development. At the heart of this is the need to apply principles of sustainable development - leaving no-one behind, taking a holistic appraoch - to open science itself.
There are a number of ways in which libraries can engage with the concept of digital public goods, which has become more and more prominent in discussions about about the future of internet governance, and development in general. This briefing explains what they are, and why they are relevant.
The Middle East and North Africa leg of the United Nations' round of regional sustainable development fora, in preparation for the High Level Political Forum in July, took place last month in Beirut, Lebanon. We are grateful to Dr Imad Bachir, IFLA's representative, for this report.
Gaps were at the heart of the discucssion at the 2023 Asia-Pacific Forum for Sustainable Development in Bangkok, Thailand. These exist both in between the situation today and the goals the United Nations have set for 2030, but also in the data and evidence we have to support progress. IFLA's representative at the event - Fathimath Nashfa of the Maldives - was about to highlight how libraries can contribute to both.
The IFLA side-event at the Regional Forum on Sustainable Development for Europe brought together speakers from very different areas of the field, but a shared message: access to information is essential in responding to crises, and can be best achieved by systemic approaches to supporting libraries.
Information is a key condition for development, in particular the face of crises. As an IFLA side-event at the African Regional Forum for Sustainable Development underlined, this makes libraries – if properly supported – into key players in providing a response to the challenges Africa faces today.
The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) has recently published the results of a midterm review of The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030).
A regular refrain in discussions about progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals is that we still face major gaps in the evidence to support decision-making.
Libraries already do a lot for development on their own. But they can do even more as part of partnerships with a wide variety of actors, making unique contributions. This article focuses on examples taken from the IFLA Library Map of the World.
The Culture 2030 Goal campaign, of which IFLA is a member, has urged UNESCO Member States to make good on their commitment to promote an explicit culture goal in future development frameworks, as made in the declaration from MONDIACULT 2022. The campaign's zero-draft for a culture goal provides an excellent starting point.
Finding solutions to the climate crisis is not only the task of scientists, engineers, and politicians. This global challenge requires input from all people – from all sectors – to address.
Sustainable development represents one of the broadest areas of IFLA’s advocacy engagement, covering both specific work around the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals, and underlying work to build – and demonstrate – libraries’ ability to contribute to a whole range of policy goals.
As part of IFLA's engagement at this year's High-Level Political Forum, the Dag Hammarskjold Library at the United Nations kindly hosted an IFLA session discussing the trends which are shaping how far access to information is enabling sustainable development today. Today we share the report of this event.
From 6-20 November 2022, 35,000 delegates from 190 countries, including more than 90 heads of state, came together in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, for the 2022 UN Climate Change Conference – COP27.
From 6-20 November 2022, 35,000 delegates from 190 countries, including more than 90 heads of state, came together in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, for the 2022 UN Climate Change Conference – COP27.
The 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) will be held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt from 6-18 November 2022. This conference will bring policymakers, climate activists, and civil society representing a range of stakeholders together to advance global commitments for addressing the climate crisis.
During the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27), to be held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt from 6-18 November 2022, IFLA invites the global library field to call for recognition of libraries as partners in climate education, public awareness, training, public participation, public access to information, and international cooperation - the elements of action for climate empowerment (ACE).
For Development Information Day 2022, IFLA has released a statement on evidence for sustainable development, underlining the need for governments to engage libraries in their efforts to ensure that their decision-making is based on knowledge.