The MexINFO Global Forum took place last week at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in Mexico City, and was organized by the university’s Library and Information Research Institute (IIBI) in collaboration with the IFLA Advisory Committee on Freedom of Access to Information and Freedom of Expression (FAIFE). The event was divided into four symposiums and seminars led by the IFLA Latin American and Caribbean Regional Division Committee, the Artificial Intelligence and LGBTQ+ Users Special Interest Groups, the Indigenous Matters and Management of Library Associations Sections, and the Advisory Committee on Copyright and other Legal Matters.

The event held contemporary and historical public debates on the power of knowledge and information conveyed by institutions and people with different profiles and trajectories within the fields of research, activism and professional practice in different parts of the world. Individuals presented research projects and initiatives that aim to improve and make access to information more equal.

Opening ceremony at the UNAM’s Institute for Economic Research
Latin American and Caribbean Regional Division International Seminar

During the event we commemorated five decades of collaboration between Latin America and the Caribbean Library community and IFLA, during which new tendencies in the information environment were discussed. The coordinator of the UNAM’s Humanities Department, Miguel Armando López Leyva, stated that advances in librarianship and the need to address new theoretical and practical problems on the organization, retrieval, storage, preservation, recording and production of information and knowledge gave way to the transition from CUIB (Centro Universitario de Investigaciones Bibliotecológicas) to IIBI, which occurred in 2012.

International Symposium on Libraries and Censorship

The censorship symposium was done under the theme “Unshelving voices: Empowering Libraries Against Censorship”, and included interventions from the American Library Association and PEN international. The utility and implementation of the ‘International Statement on the Freedom of Expression and the Freedoms to Publish and Read’ was also discussed via the symposium.

Symposium on Indigenous Matters

Under the theme ‘Stewarding Indigenous Knowledge through Ethics, Law and the Archive’, the symposium address themes such as the legal protections for traditional cultural expressions and the role of libraries in protecting intangible indigenous knowledge amongst other topics. Speakers highlighted the importance of applying the CARE principles for indigenous data governance and the relevance of the cross examination of colonial legacy in the face of new technological developments.

International Seminar on Artificial Intelligence and Information Integrity

The seminar focused on ‘Building Trust and the future of information integrity’, where Andrew Cox the convenor of the IFLA AI SIG opened the discussion on how to balance the benefits and challenges of AI to information culture. The panels held during the seminar addressed themes including algorithmic bias, the impact of misinformation and the implications of information integrity for the Sustainable Development Goals.

During the seminar, IFLA held a discussion on the launch of our revised Internet Manifesto (2024) and the steps to follow up for further operationalization of the document.

Click here to access some of the recordings from the panels that were held at the IIBI website.