Our world is faced with a range of challenges linked to intolerance, and its consequences. These have dominated the headlines in 2020: large-scale demonstrations demanding racial justice, inequalities facing the LGBTQ+ community around the world, terrorist activity, the rise of nationalist groups, and the ongoing xenophobia that threatens the livelihood of the world’s most vulnerable […]
Read moreWhen cities leverage their heritage for development, there is the possibility of gaining their investment back in social and economic dividends. Investing in cultural heritage can make a location more attractive for tourism, new residential growth and business investment – changing the landscape of a community and the way people interact with it. I recently […]
Read moreIn the first of seven daily blogs in the run up to Human Rights Day, and to mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, today’s post looks at Article 7: Freedom from Discrimination. Article 7 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights includes the statement that: ‘All are entitled to equal protection against […]
Read moreOriginally posted in the IFLA SpeakUp! blog, run by IFLA’s FAIFE Committee. Libraries have traditionally acted as facilitators of access to information. In this role, libraries serve as intermediaries not gatekeepers or watchdogs. Libraries diffuse the use of new technologies to their patrons, empowering and unleashing the potential of human mind. The law generally views […]
Read moreIn its internal structures, IFLA deals with copyright and other legal matters and freedom of access to information and freedom of expression through different committees. This does not mean that the two issues are not connected, or of course that the committees work in isolation. Indeed, the two work together on ongoing policy issues, and […]
Read moreEffective libraries stand at the heart of their communities. They are centres for learning and empowerment, places for meeting and building networks, and drivers of innovation and creativity. This is what makes Sustainable Development Goal 11, which focuses on what is needed to ensure everyone can take place in community and civic life, […]
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