Qatar National Library (QNL) recently hosted the International Federation of Library Associations’ (IFLA) International Advocacy Program (IAP) regional workshop for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) at the Qatar National Convention Center (QNCC).
The workshop, which ran from March 13 – 15, was attended by different representatives from the public library sector and library associations in the MENA region. It was the sixth in a series of six regional workshops held worldwide in Africa, Asia Oceania, Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean.
Launched by IFLA in the last quarter of 2016, IAP is a new capacity-building program designed to raise the level of awareness among information service professionals on the role libraries can play in the planning and implementation of the United Nation’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The UN agenda is a framework of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with a total of 179 targets from economy to environmental and social development.
Commenting on the workshop, Dr Sohair Wastawy, Executive Director, QNL, said: "We are proud to host this IFLA event after QNL successfully held the 48th Metropolitan Libraries Conference (METLIB 2016 Qatar) last April. This reflects the firm and productive partnership between our two organizations and strengthens Qatar's presence in the global library and information services sector."
When opening the workshop, IFLA Secretary General, Gerald Leitner, stressed: “If a country wants to achieve the United Nations 2030 Agenda, this will not be possible without libraries. We need to bring this to the attention of policy makers and the United Nations. IFLA will support countries across the globe in achieving this.”
“72 countries have signed agreements with IFLA to start doing activities about libraries and the SDGs. No other organizations have done this before. This is really exceptional. We believe that a success story for a global organization like IFLA is only possible with a mix of activities on a global and on a national level. We wouldn’t be able to do this without a solid collaboration between libraries. This partnership is what makes it powerful.” He added.
Through the IAP, IFLA aims to establish an engaged community of advocates who will clearly articulate, at national and regional levels, the important role libraries play in development by contributing to the UN 2030 Agenda and the SDGs to ensure libraries and public access to information are included in National Development Plans
QNL, a member of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF), advocates for universal and open access to information, safeguarding Qatar and Islamic cultural heritage, promoting universal literacy, and providing access to information and communication technologies.
