Stay up to date with our latest developments, initiatives, and new resources!
As the global voice of libraries, IFLA strives to bring a library perspective to discussions and processes relating to international cultural policy. 2022 presents important opportunities to bring library voices to the table and highlight libraries as stakeholders in the culture sector.
A new Culture2030Goal Campaign report explores how effectively local and regional governments are placing culture at the heart - and even the start - of their efforts to deliver on the United Nations 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals.
UNESCO’s 41st General Conference has ended. This biennial meeting brings together representatives of the Member States, alongside observers from non-Member States, intergovernmental organisations, and non-governmental organisations, to determine the policies and the main lines of work of UNESCO.
IFLA was proud to join the Climate Heritage Network in a series of events that brought the voices of cultural heritage and cultural institutions to the table – highlighting the sector’s critical role in powering climate action.
The theme for this year’s World Digital Preservation Day (4 November) is: ’Breaking Down Barriers’.
Among the different types of human rights set out in international law, cultural rights have a particular relevance for libraries. Our institutions are key actors in guaranteeing the right of everyone to participate in cultural life, from creativity, to access, to the preservation of heritage. Professor Karima Bennoune, UN Special Rapporteur on Cultural Rights 2015-2021, focused on this topic in her keynote intervention at WLIC 2021.
Global leaders are coming together to discuss plans to achieve global net zero greenhouse gas emissions and to limit global average temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Alongside this, cultural actors have been active in highlighting the role of culture in enabling the wide-spread societal transformation that achieving these ambitious goals will require.
To mark World Cities Day 2021, IFLA has released a short report looking at the experience of libraries as UNESCO Cities of Literature, and the impact that this designation has.
The United Kingdom will host the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, UK, from 31 October – 12 November 2021.
The 41st General Conference of UNESCO (the United Nations Education, Science, and Cultural Organization) will take place from 9-24 November 2021 at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France.
The United Kingdom will host the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, UK, from 31 October – 12 November 2021.
The UK will host the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow from 31 October – 12 November 2021.
At the 2021 World Library and Information Congress (WLIC), Andrew Potts, coordinator of the Secretariat of the Climate Heritage Network, gave the keynote speech for the Libraries Sustain thematic track of the Congress.
The UNESCO Memory of the World Programme hosted the 2nd Memory of the World Global Policy Forum from 21-22 September 2021.
IFLA strongly welcomes the announcement by UNESCO that Accra, Ghana, will hold the title of World Book Capital 2023. This represents a great opportunity to highlight the work of Ghana’s libraries in promoting books and reading throughout the population.
To enable the enduring preservation of and access to documentary cultural heritage, including in digital form, in line with the UNESCO 2015 Recommendation, steps must be taken to preserve digitised and born-digital materials. The volume of digital information is almost incalculable, and continues to grow, which presents a significant challenge.
Following a period of review, UNESCO has once again announced they are accepting nominations for materials of world and historical significance to be added to the MoW International Register.
At a meeting of the mayors of many of the most important cities around the world, IFLA, on behalf of the Culture2030Goal campaign, underlined the importance of investing in culture and libraries, and integrating them into policy planning in order to support greener, fairer development.
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’.
Mark your calendars! UNESCO will celebrate Global Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Week 2021 from 24 to 31 October, hosted by South Africa, and the global library field is invited to take part!