The 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action set out an ambitious UN agenda to advance women’s empowerment and gender equality. 2020 marks their 25th anniversary, and a large-scale review has been launched to assess the progress made towards implementing the Declaration and the Platform. This review process offers libraries an opportunity to reflect on how their work can help advance gender equality and take further action. This briefing examines the role that access to information, knowledge and lifelong learning play in the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action; as well as library activities and initiatives noted in national reports prepared as part of the Beijing+25 review.
Today is Human Rights Day, the anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. To help libraries and others reflect on the state of fundamental rights where they are, IFLA has released its Intellectual Freedom Checklist.
Between 25 and 29 November 2019, IFLA participated in the 14th annual Internet Governance Forum meeting in Berlin. The key messages IFLA emphasised were the importance of policy support for public access in libraries, the role of libraries in enabling meaningful connectivity, and in generating meaningful internet content through digitisation efforts.
Between 25 and 29 November, 2019, IFLA will be taking part in the 14th annual Internet Governance Forum meeting in Berlin. IFLA has participated in IGF events since 2008; and we continue our involvement in policy discussions relevant for the library field: public internet access facilities, digital and information literacy, intellectual freedom in the digital sphere, and many others.
The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) process is a UN-based initiative to bridge the digital divide, foster an inclusive information society and promote the use of ICT for development. Libraries have an important role to play in achieving these goals, and IFLA has been actively involved with the WSIS process since its first phase in Geneva in 2003. This includes contributing to annual reports to take stock of the progress made towards the WSIS Action Lines and Targets – and the 2019 IFLA submission is now available!
IFLA has worked with FAIFE committee members from Croatia and the United States to prepare submissions for the Universal Periodic Reviews organised by the UN Human Rights Council.
In July 2019, the Council of Europe invited public feedback on its draft recommendation on the human rights impacts of algorithmic systems. IFLA, through its Committee on Freedom of Access to Information and Freedom of Information, has responded, highlighting the issues and priorities of libraries.
The use of technology in education is growing, and a new class of technologies has emerged that relies on tracking and analysing vast amounts of student behavioural data. The position of libraries in educational ecosystems means that they may well, both directly and indirectly, come across this trend. This briefing outlines the key ethical and security concerns for libraries to consider, and suggests some ways for libraries to promote responsible and ethical use of Edtech.
The Mozilla Internet Health Report is an annual publication which brings together information and reflections about key issues facing the internet today. The report therefore offers a great basis for thinking within the library field about issues around the way we access, share and create information.
The UN Secretary-General’s High-level Panel on Digital Cooperation report "The Age of Digital Interdependence" outlines key issues and offers recommendations for building an inclusive digital future. Several messages and recommendations the report puts forward are directly relevant for libraries.
