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The importance of access to information to achieve sustainable development in Latin America and the Caribbean

Hernán Santa Cruz Library

Session |
Thu, 19/04/2018 - 13:00 to 14:30
The draft of the ‘Santiago Declaration’ is the most significant proposal from the event organized by the Hernan Santa Cruz Library and IFLA. The Declaration reaffirms the commitment of libraries to work in support of the 2030 Agenda and SGDs. We invite library associations and civil society of the region to be part of this consultation process in preparation for the HLPF 2019 by sending your comments.

IMPORTANT:
During the second meeting of the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development, from 18 to 20 April in Santiago, Chile, a side event took place under the title ‘The importance of Access to information to achieve sustainable development in Latin America and the Caribbean’. This event was organised by the Hernán Santa Cruz Library (ECLAC) and IFLA.
One of the proposals of this event was the creation of the ‘Santiago Declaration’ to underline that libraries are strategic partners for the fulfilment of the United Nations SDGs.
The draft declaration includes the below key points:

  • the need to make best use of existing resources – we have around 200,000 libraries in the LAC region;
  • libraries have physical and virtual infrastructure, as well as services aligned with the SDGs and aimed at all parts of the population.
  • access to information is a universal human right
  • libraries support life-long learning
  • pre-existing projects which are aligned with the SDGs can be scaled up and improved if they are recognised by their communities, local governments, and civil society 

This draft declaration looks to reaffirm the commitment of libraries to work in support of the 2030 Agenda, and to contribute to increasing their visibility in order to enable local alliances for the achievement of the SDGs. It is targeted at governments, international organisations, funders, and other civil society organisations, all of which, by working with libraries, can help deliver meaningful and inclusive access to information.
In order to ensure that this document is representative of the LAC region, we ask Library associations to review the text and to send suggestions to Stephen Wyber (Stephen.Wyber@ifla.org) by 1 August 2018.
Following the incorporation of comments and agreement by the lead organisations, we will publish the statement online and encourage other actors to sign on to it.
It is important to underline that the text of the Declaration should be short, which will allow for easy and rapid reading for potential signatories.