Stay up to date with our latest developments, initiatives, and new resources!
Calling for immediate humanitarian aid is of the highest priority. We implore all parties to uphold respect for human rights and dignity, in line with international law, and find a pathway to peace.
FLA was excited to attend and contribute to Creative Commons’s conversation on the future of openness. The open movement provides opportunities for libraries to engage with and serve their users, as well as reach new users. Read on for some key take-aways from the programme, and what they may mean for library advocacy going forward.
IFLA is happy to congratulate Rio de Janeiro on being awarded the title of World Book Capital City 2025, following a decision of the Director General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay. We look forward to working with Brazilian colleagues in order to ensure this highlights and strengthens libraries.
The Culture 2030 Goal campaign has released its review of the place of culture in the reports released by national governments about how they are working to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. As well as highlighting the different dimensions of culture's contribution, it underlines both the need - and the feasibility - of an explicit culture goal.
Documentary heritage transmits an understanding of social, political, collective, and personal history. It offers more than a glimpse into the past – it transmits memory, knowledge, perspective, stories, and testimonies that are relevant to our world today.
We are happy to share the recording of our webinar explaining the work and missions of the Culture2030Goal campaign.
The people of Sudan face an increasingly perilous situation following the outbreak of civil armed conflict in April 2023. Our primary concerns are humanitarian, and we call for solidarity with the people of Sudan, including its library and information workers – those still in the country and those who have been forced to flee.
On 5 June, civil society organisations came together online and in person at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France, for the fourth edition of the Civil Society Forum of the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of a Diversity of Cultural Expressions (2005 Convention).
The Culture2030Goal campaign, of which IFLA is a founding member, has called on governments to correct the mistakes of 2015, and make sure that the Declaration emerging from a key UN event in September recognises the role of culture in accelerating sustainable development.
World Press Freedom Day (3 May) pays homage to freedom of the press as an essential part of democratic, informed, and participatory societies. It calls for a reflection on its history, evaluation of the current state of press freedom around the world, and for remembrance of those journalists who have lost their lives providing access to information.
Libraries not only depend on human rights to deliver their services – they actively contribute to their realisation. The values of libraries and many aspects of their missions are interlinked with ensuring access to information and freedom of expression. Both of these fundamental freedoms are also aspects of cultural rights. For their many actions to enable participation in cultural life, libraries can be considered cultural rights defenders.
Every year, UNESCO invites the international community to celebrate World Book and Copyright Day on 23 April. This day recognises books as a “link between the past and the future, a bridge between generations and across cultures” and calls for celebrations of the power and joy of books.
Qatar National Library held its second annual Libraries Lead Forum from 19-20 March 2023 in Doha, Qatar. This year’s forum explored how galleries, libraries, archives, and museums (GLAM institutions) carry out cultural diplomacy.
When any type of cultural property disappears, it is a great loss to humanity. However, around the world, cultural objects are at risk of illicit theft and trafficking. This is a complex issue, and working to counter these threats is not a task that one can take on alone. There is a need for collaboration between cultural institutions, like libraries and museums, and with law enforcement, customs organisations, and other stakeholders. IFLA is dedicated to helping protect the world’s cultural heritage, and we work with many partners to build capacity to counter the threat of trafficking.
Action at a local level has a key role to play in building an environment where reading and creativity is encouraged and supported, for all. The UNESCO World Book Capital Programme is there to highlight and celebrate great examples of cities and towns doing just this. Could yours be the next one? Nominations are open until 16 April 2023.
The UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee (IGC) for the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (UNESCO’s 2005 Convention) convened for their 16th session from 7-10 February in Paris, France.
UNESCO’s World Press Freedom Day (3 May) acts as a reminder of the importance of respecting commitments to freedom of the press. It calls for reflection on how these freedoms were achieved, evaluation of the current state of press freedom around the world, and remembrance of those journalists who have lost their lives in pursuit of providing access to information.
The UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee (IGC) for the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (UNESCO’s 2005 Convention) will convene for their 16th session from 7-10 February in Paris, France.
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.
Global discourse on culture and cultural heritage in 2022 can be characterised by greater recognition of the powerful potential of culture to help solve great challenges, as well as calls for action to ensure its protection in the face of natural and human-caused disaster.