The International Advocacy Program (IAP) of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) has held workshops across the world to mobilize information professionals to work with the 2030 Agenda.
In this scenario, the 27th Brazilian Conference of Library, Documentation and Information Sciences (CBBD) was held from October 17th to 20th, 2017, in Fortaleza, CE, Brazil, with the central theme “The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: how librarians can contribute to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda”.
In fact, libraries need to leave behind the stereotype they are spaces to store books. Libraries are strategic associations to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The IFLA selected examples that permitted seeing that libraries contribute for the development of society, and the Conference had presentations of inspiring examples of life-changing programs and projects that have already been implemented.
BIREME actively participated in the event representing the healthcare sector, especially in a session on “the contribution of libraries to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) – information for decision-making that contributes to improve the quality of life of people”, which presented a vision of the SDG in the 2030 Agenda from the regional (Latin America and the Caribbean), national, and municipal perspectives. Lectures were given by BIREME Director, Dr. Diego Gonzalez; a representative of the Ministry of Health of Brazil, Shirlei Rodrigues; and the Municipal Health Secretary of Fortaleza, Maria Cláudia de Freitas Lima.
In fact, in the different activities of the event, it was evident that the role of library science and information science may be empowered for the adoption and implementation of programs and lines of action in favor of the SDG, in accordance with national conditions and priorities, which requires dynamism and flexibility of libraries to promote the contextualization and interoperability of sources of information by topic, location, and audience in order to overcome information inequalities, according to BIREME’s former Director Abel Packer’s statement in his article on the 50th anniversary of BIREME in blog SciELO em Perspectiva.
In the presentation made by the Director of BIREME, Dr. Diego González, he had the opportunity to show the 2030 Agenda of the Americas (ASSA2030) which was approved at the 29th Pan American Sanitary Conference, which took place in Washington, D.C. on September 25-29th, 2017. Dr. González emphasized two of the objectives that explicitly appear in order to achieve the vision of the ASSA2030: One of them related to the strengthening of information systems for health in order to support the formulation of policies and the of decisions based on evidence and the other with the development of capacities for the generation, transfer and use of health evidence and knowledge, promoting research, innovation and the use of technology. To end Dr. González, he expressed the important role of the librarian at all levels within the framework of the 2030 Agenda, in a context of intersectoral work.
For further information
IFLA page on the theme – Libraries, Development and the United Nations 2030 Agenda (in English)
International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions – Toolkit: Libraries and implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda (in English)
Document of FEBAB – Brazilian Federation of Librarian Association – As Bibliotecas podem promover a implementação da agenda 2030 (in Portuguese)