The UN’s Summit of the Future comes to a close today, with the Pact for the Future – the key output text – already agreed. Through IFLA’s engagement in the preparatory process, and at events in New York, we were able to support calls for stronger recognition of, and support for, the role of information, knowledge, culture and libraries in achieving policy goals.  

The Summit of the Future is the culmination of five years of work at the United Nations, which began with the process leading up to the UN’s 75th anniversary. On that occasion, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, the focus was less on celebration than on reflecting on how to ensure that the UN was ready for its next quarter century.

The challenge set out was to identify an agenda for how to strengthen the multilateral (international) system, and its ability to achieve its goals. Amongst the themes identified early on, there was the role of science and research in decision-making, the governance of the internet and digital affairs, future generations, and information integrity.

IFLA has followed the process closely, participating in consultation sessions, submitting ideas and views, and keeping our members informed about the process. In this, we have underlined the need to take a stronger approach to ensuring that everyone has access to the information they need to fulfil their potential and enjoy their rights. We have also, working with partners in the Culture2030Goal campaign, argued that there needs to be an explicit recognition of culture as a policy lever.

IFLA was therefore proud to participate actively at the Summit of the Future Action Days, jointly organising one side event alongside partners from the Culture2030Goal campaign, as well as speaking in another organised by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network.

In the former, we were joined by decision-makers and practitioners from Niger, Palau, Spain and Cameroon who shared their perspectives on what the integration of culture into development policy planning could look like. The event helped underline the growing body of countries which are integrating culture in this way.

In the latter, we underlined how the phenomenon of attacks of libraries was an example of a broader opposition to a model of society based on discussion and tolerance. In addition to clearly protecting the ability of libraries to fulfil their missions, we needed a more positive agenda on information integrity than simply addressing problems.

In particular, it was necessary to build on the references to Open Science in the Pact for the Future, ensure that the work of UN agencies like the World Intellectual Property Organization favour openness and exchange, and that the UN set an example in updating its own copyright policy.

The event also provided a chance to launch a study by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, in partnership with IFLA, looking at the role of libraries in supporting education for sustainable development. We’ll shortly be sharing a press release about this work – look out for more!

Engagement at the UN also offered a valuable opportunity to engage with existing and new partners, including the UN Dag Hammarskjold Library which is currently consulting on a digital knowledge network as a next step from the existing depository library network.

In the coming days, we will be sharing briefings with you about how you can use the key outputs from the Summit in your advocacy, following the model of ALA which organized a side-event during the Summit at the New York Public Library.