The fourth Culture Summit, organised by United Cities and Local Governments, will take place on 9-11 September in Izmir, Turkey, under the theme ‘Culture shaping the future’. IFLA Secretary General Gerald Leitner will participate, underlining how libraries are central to these efforts.

Graphic for the 4th UCLG Culture Summit in Izmir, TurkeyFollowing in the footsteps of previous editions, the Summit will bring together cities, local governments and other actors are committed to designing and implementing effective policies and programmes on culture and sustainability.

This year’s edition takes place in the context both of the response to and recovery from COVID-19, and the Decade of Action to deliver on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

These have only strengthened the case for integrating culture into planning, not just in order to preserve the sector, but also to support wellbeing, innovation and social cohesion, and to enhance the effectiveness of policy interventions. Fortunately, the experience of local governments already offers many powerful examples of good practice.

Libraries of course have shown their inventiveness and resilience during COVID and related restrictions, and are now strongly focused on contributing to recovery.

IFLA’s Secretary General Gerald Leitner will take part in the event, participating in sessions focused both on the place of culture in voluntary reviews of local efforts to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals, and on the work of the Culture2030Goal campaign in general.

Through his interventions, he will highlight in particular the power of libraries as a key pillar of the cultural infrastructure of any community, and the breadth of the contributions our institutions make to strong and inclusive development.

Other sessions will offer opportunities to learn more about the evidence of the impact of culture on health, climate change, and gender equity, and to reinforce calls for stronger recognition of culture in wider development frameworks.

You can find out more by looking at the detailed programme, and indeed register to participate online.