The UN’s Pact for the Future, as well as the Global Digital Compact and Declaration on Future Generations annexed to it, includes plenty of relevance to libraries. This article highlights key points, and suggests ten ways you can work with these documents in your advocacy.

The Pact for the Future, agreed on the first day of the UN’s Summit of the Future, is a landmark text for the United Nations this decade. It is the culmination of five years of work, starting with the preparations for the celebrations of the UN’s 75th birthday, and passing through various declarations, briefs, papers and more.

Its mission is to set out, in one place, a set of actions to renew and reinvigorate the international system. Through this, the goal is to ensure that the UN is better able to support work towards a safer, more sustainable world.

There are 54 actions in the Pact itself (typically with a number of sub-actions), while in annex you can also find a Global Digital Compact and Declaration on Future Generations. Proposals range from reform of the international financial institutions to exchange of experience around AI regulation, and from the vague to the very specific.

What is in there for libraries? This article shares ten references that could be useful for you in your advocacy, and ten practical areas where libraries can step up and show that they are delivering on global goals.

Ten Takeaways

1. This is a big step up in terms of the recognition of the role of knowledge, alongside science, technology and innovation, as a driver of development. There are repeated calls for better use of data and research as key to progress at all levels.

2. Similarly, the Pact highlights the importance of culture not just as a goal in itself, but also as a factor in social cohesion and identity, and an enabler of development in general. It also stresses the importance of the right to participate in cultural life.

3. In particular, heritage is valued, both as something that needs to be protected in times of conflict, but also as a key factor in safeguarding the future. There is also specific recognition of the need to protect Indigenous knowledge systems.

4. The development of capacity and infrastructure for science and research in developing countries is a major priority, as well as more work around ethics. The Pact is clear that science and research needs to support equity and manage risks. Interestingly, a paragraph focused on upholding intellectual property rights in previous drafts was not included in the final version.

5. The Global Digital Compact underlines the need not just for connectivity, but for ‘meaningful’ connectivity. This implies not just speed and reliability, but also the ability to make the most of being online. It also reaffirms the results of the WSIS process, which include plenty of references to the importance of public internet access and libraries.

6. Linked to this, the Compact also stresses the need to ensure that there is appropriate and relevant content. This is a point often neglected in texts around internet governance, but one that is arguably essential if the internet is to realise its potential.

7. The Compact also underlines the importance of upholding the global nature of the internet, and facilitating cross-border information flows. Where action is needed to regulate this, it should focus of promoting wellbeing and legitimate safety concerns.

8. The Pact takes a balanced approach to information integrity, not just worrying about problems, but also stressing the need for freedom of access to information and freedom of expression, and emphasizing the need for positive efforts to build a healthy information environment.

9. Linked to work to build a positive information environment, there is a strong focus on building skills. Unlike in earlier drafts, there is a much strong focus on supporting learning throughout life.

10. All of the documents stress the need to uphold a multistakeholder model – i.e. one that would allow libraries and associations to engage fully in discussions. There are also repeated references to the need to engage the scientific and academic communities, which offers possibilities for libraries.

Ten Actions for Libraries     

1. Engage governments – and in particular culture ministries – about how they are going to integrate culture into economic, social and environmental policies, in line with their commitment. Give examples of how libraries, as cultural infrastructures, are already doing this.

2. Ask about how libraries can be part of the national and local digital connectivity strategies that governments have committed to create. Note the recognised role of public access to the internet in libraries in supporting digital inclusion, as well as how libraries allow for meaningful access.

3. Ask about plans to develop digital skills and media and information literacy strategies for people at all ages, as demanded by the Global Digital Compact. Underline that libraries are a very powerful potential infrastructure for achieving this.

4. Call for more work to ensure the availability of relevant materials to all, stressing the long experience of libraries in this. How can governments help libraries go further still in supporting creation of and access to local and other relevant content?

5. Underline the inclusion of open data as a digital public good, and underline the role of open science systems and services as an example of a digital public infrastructure, serving both to accelerate research and facilitate participation in science.

6. Engage around the question of how to support diverse and resilient information ecosystems in general, as well as how to provide, promote and facilitate access to and the dissemination of quality information, as included in the Pact. Underline how libraries are an excellent pre-existing infrastructure for doing this.

7. Make contact with your UN Country Team and Resident Coordinator if you have one. They have a mission to support implementation of the Global Digital Compact in their countries – let them know about how libraries can help, and ask what you can do together.

8. The Pact underlines the need to make better use of knowledge in policy-making. Given this commitment, how will governments be using their libraries (and parliaments theirs) in order to achieve this?

9. Ask governments about how they are going to engage the academic and scientific community in policy making, and underline your interest in being involved. Underline the role of libraries in acting as a channel bringing research information into government in particular.

10. Show your commitment by endorsing the Compact yourselves – the document suggests that this is going to be possibility.