unesco gc

The 39th session of the General Conference took place in Paris, on 30 October – 14 November. IFLA took an active part, attending meetings on UNESCO’s activities in the area of communication and information. 

Every two years Member States, intergovernmental organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) meet at the UNESCO General Conference. This determines the policies and the main lines of work of UNESCO, rooted in UNESCO’s Constitution promoting the “free flow of ideas by word and image”.

UNESCO GCThe Communication and Information (CI) Commission examined eight agenda items over two days, discussing amongst other things a report on the Implementation of the Information For All Programme (IFAP), strengthening UNESCO leadership in the implementation of the UN Plan of Action on Safety of Journalists and the issue of Impunity as well as Open Educational Resource.

During the debate on Open Educational Resources (OER), IFLA spoke to the commission, drawing attention to the work of IFLA, and how libraries have promoted OER since long before the term was conceived:

School and academic libraries sit at the heart of educational institutions, while public libraries complement the work of schools in promoting literacy, as well as promoting life-long learning. IFLA is committed to driving progress towards SDG4, as well as across the whole of the 2030 Agenda.

IFLA has pledged to support its members to provide the best possible services to their users and communities, and in doing so, make a major contribution to education, a specific goal in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

IFLA looks forward to continuing its work on this theme involving both the CI Commission, and others working on education within UNESCO.