Dag Hammarskjöld Library joint event with IFLA

A panel of experts and policy-makers explored this question at an event organized by the UN Dag Hammarskjöld Library in collaboration with the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA).

Speakers advocated for libraries as key partners for local development actors.  Highlighting examples from the 2019 “Development and Access to Information” report, libraries proved that they had the power to change lives by providing meaningful access to information for all.

Participants learned about IFLA’s international advocacy programme that sought recognition of libraries in national action plans for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and were invited to explore the “Library Map of the World” with numerous examples of local library initiatives in support of the United Nations 2030 Agenda.

Several such examples were presented by Ms. Zubeida Bouallagui of the Public Reading Directorate of the Ministry of Culture of Tunisia.  Taking the motto “the smartest are those who can use their skills in partnership with others” to heart, her office joined up with UNIC Tunis to raise awareness about the SDGs among librarians.  As a result, libraries organized creative writing sessions and coding workshops for children, as well as book and information fairs about the SDGs.

As a practical example of an “in-house library partnership”, Chief Librarian Thanos Giannakopoulos presented the recent New York Pledge as a commitment by a group of UN system libraries to work towards mobilizing knowledge resources to facilitate the implementation of the SDGs, and to ensure equitable access to UN information.

Photo album (courtesy of IFLA): https://www.flickr.com/photos/ifla/albums/72157709722553017