The Lyon Declaration on Access to Information and Development
Dear all,
The Lyon Declaration on Access to Information and Development
http://www.lyondeclaration.org/ was
successfully launched at the World Library and Information Congress
2014 in Lyon. Since then, over 280 organisations from across the library
and development community have signed the document and called upon
United Nations Member States to incorporate access to information in the
new post-2015 development framework. The Declaration has now been
translated into 13 languages.
Following the release of the Open
Working Group Outcome Document in July, IFLA is now waiting to see what
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon will present to the UN General Assembly
later this year in New York. The Secretary General is currently
overseeing preparation of a ‘synthesis report’ that will bring together
the outputs of various processes on the post-2015 development agenda and
help UN Member States find a way forward in negotiations over the next
twelve months. The synthesis report is expected to be released at the
end of October/early November.
What are the next steps?
Once
the synthesis report is issued it is crucial that policymakers in the
capitals of UN Member States get to hear what libraries want to see in
the new framework. As outlined in the Lyon Declaration, IFLA wants the
United Nations to acknowledge that access to information, and the skills
to use it effectively, are required for sustainable development, and to
make sure that the framework’s goals, targets and means of
implementation reflects this.
Your voice will be needed for us to achieve this goal.
IFLA
is currently preparing an advocacy toolkit which will help library
representatives to approach decision-makers in order to talk to them
about the importance of access to information in development. IFLA wants
to help its members and partners to take the opportunity to position
themselves inside development debates in their home countries, so that
their governments recognise the value libraries bring to development.
Ultimately, libraries can benefit from being included in the national
plans that will implement the new development agenda from January 1st,
2016.
The advocacy toolkit will be available in early October 2014.
What can you do to help?
- You can sign the Lyon Declaration and add your voice to the call at the United Nations.
- You can translate the Lyon Declaration into your language and share it with colleagues in your own country.
- You can encourage others in the library and development sectors to sign the Lyon Declaration.
- You can organise meetings with policy makers in your country and use the toolkit provided by IFLA in order to make the library voice heard on a national level.
- You can promote the principles of the Lyon Declaration throughout your network and ensure that the message gets spread as widely as possible.
...
Background
The Lyon Declaration on Access to Information and Development calls upon United Nations Member States to make an international commitment through the post-2015 development agenda to ensure that everyone has access to, and is able to understand, use and share the information that is necessary to promote sustainable development and democratic societies. It was prepared by IFLA and a number of strategic partners in the library and development communities.
Please also see the webversion.
Julia Brungs
Policy and Projects Officer
International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA)
P.O. Box 95312
2509 CH The Hague
Netherlands
My source: HIFA2015
orcid.org/0000-0002-0192-8965