UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, firmly believes that media and information literacy (MIL) is a key skill for today’s world. In the face of a seemingly endless amount of information, and with growing threats from mis- and disinformation, the need to build MIL competencies is greater than ever. Read More
Libraries have a great story to tell of making a difference to development across the policy agenda. As our engagement at the SDG Action Weekend showed, this story is becoming better known at the United Nations among those working on sustainable development. Next step: new partnerships and impact. Read More
Formally marking the half-way point in the United Nations' 2030 Agenda, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Summit and Action Weekend will bring together key governmental and non-governmental actors in advancing a stronger, fairer, more sustainable world. IFLA will be there, underlining libraries' essential role in any comprehensive development plans. Read More
The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) is a United Nations multi-stakeholder platform for dialogue between governments, business, civil society and the technical community on public policy issues related to the way the Internet works and is regulated. Read More
For the first time, over half of the official reviews of national efforts to implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as presented at the United Nations, refer to the contributions of libraries. This is a welcome recognition of the work of our field. This report explores and analyses these references, providing an advocacy tool for others in pushing for stronger recognition of and support for libraries in SDG delivery. Read More
For the first time since the agreement of the SDGs in 2015, IFLA will be represented at the United Nations' High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) by a delegation including librarians from every world region. To help you get to know team libraries at HLPF 2023, we asked them about their experience and ambitions. Read More
A survey of library associations around the world has shown high-levels of awareness and activity around the United Nations 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals. Associations in Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean and the Middle East and North Africa are particular engaged. Read More
The United Nations has released a new Policy Brief around one of the key themes in the upcoming Summit of the Future – Information Integrity. Making a political priority of the question of access to reliable information – and the need to address misinformation, disinformation and hate speech, it point to a number of roles for libraries. Read More
IFLA's Asia-Oceania Regional Division delivered a regional webinar on “the strategic role of government libraries in providing evidence to support the preparation of Voluntary National Reviews”, as a side-event at this year’s Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD) organised by the office on United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific – UN ESCAP in Bangkok. Read More
The Middle East and North Africa leg of the United Nations' round of regional sustainable development fora, in preparation for the High Level Political Forum in July, took place last month in Beirut, Lebanon. We are grateful to Dr Imad Bachir, IFLA's representative, for this report. Read More