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Access to Information to Achieve Sustainable Development in Latin America and the Caribbean

The Santiago Declaration is a statement of libraries’ commitment to sustainable development in Latin America and the Caribbean, and a call on governments to provide the support necessary to realise this potential. It is a tool for librarians, libraries, library associations and friends of libraries in advocating to governments, the UN and others.  

The Declaration is open for signatures

The more associations, institutions and other organisations sign up to this Declaration, the more powerful it is, and the stronger the message it sends in support of libraries and access to information. 

We therefore suggest that you take one or more of the following actions, in order to make the Declaration a success:

  1. Sign your institution and/or library association up to the Santiago Declaration – you can do this here
  2. Who are the major non-governmental organisations working on issues mentioned in the SDGs? Write to them and suggest they sign up. 
  3. Work with colleagues in your country to draft a letter to your government presenting the Santiago Declaration, and suggesting a meeting to talk about how to achieve its objectives.
  4. Work with colleagues in your country to write to your local UNESCO, UNDP or UN office, presenting the Declaration, and proposing a meeting to talk about it.

Read the declaration

THE SANTIAGO DECLARATION: ACCESS TO INFORMATION TO ACHIEVE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

Recognising that:

  • Public access to information and knowledge is a universal human right and an essential tool for achieving sustainable development in Latin America and the Caribbean;
  • Public access to information and knowledge allows people to exercise other fundamental rights, and to gain knowledge, learn and take conscious decisions that can improve their lives,
  • Communities that have access to relevant and timely information can be better placed to eradicate poverty and inequality, to optimise agriculture and economic activities, provide quality education, and promote health, participation in cultural life, research and innovation;
  • Communities need spaces which support life-long learning, in particular for people with low levels of literacy, in situations of vulnerability or who have disabilities;

Acknowledging that:

  • Libraries around the world offer the physical and virtual infrastructure to guarantee trusted and tailored public access to information and knowledge, co-creation and innovation to all citizens, reducing the digital divide through inclusive and innovative information services.
  • There are more than a billion registered library users in the World, and for many of them, libraries represent a unique space enabling access to the Internet, social networks, e-Government services, publications, data, and other publicly accessible information resources;
  • Libraries are perfectly suited places to empower people through media and information literacy as a pre-requisite for equitable and critical access to information and knowledge, allowing for full engagement in democratic and civic life;
  • Libraries play a vital social role in their communities, promoting values such as equity, solidarity and trust;
  • There is already a clear position by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) concerning the post-2015 sustainable development agenda, which engages and mobilises libraries to work in support of the SDGs.

We therefore commit to:

  • Reaffirm the importance of libraries as strategic allies in the fulfilment of the SDGs, with a particular focus on public access to information and knowledge for all citizens and all communities;
  • Raise awareness among governments of the need to develop strategies and mechanisms, at the national and local levels, which will facilitate and reinforce the work of libraries in order to maintain and reinforce the work of libraries in Latin America and the Caribbean, and in particular which allow them to provide decent, egalitarian and trusted public spaces;
  • Reinforce the role of libraries in the promotion and dissemination of information resources produced in Latin America and the Caribbean;
  • Encourage governments to enter into agreements and pass laws, including on copyright, which facilitate public access to information and knowledge without barriers for all citizens of the region;
  • Support the development and provision of the resources necessary for the involvement of libraries in Latin America and the Caribbean in national and regional projects which aim to implement one or more of the SDGs;
  • Facilitate collaboration and exchange of knowledge, experience and good practices through inclusive national and regional initiatives in Latin America and the Caribbean;
  • Facilitate discussion around library policies for access to information as part of a universal approach to human rights, as well as the right to knowledge.
  • Call on the Member States of the United Nations, in the context of discussions on SDG 16 at the 2019 High Level Political Forum, to include discussion on SDG 16.10 and the relevance of public access to information and knowledge for all of the 2030 Agenda.

​SIGN UP TO THE SANTIAGO DECLARATION

Signatories*

  1. International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA)
  2. البرنامج المصري للمكتبات والمعلومات وتكنولوجيا التعليم (Egypt)
  3. Acuerdo de Bibliotecas Universitarias de la Provincia de Córdoba (ABUC) (Argentina)
  4. Agence pour le Rayonnement Culturel des Communes du Bénin (ARC-TANKPEWA) (Benin)
  5. Asociación Bibliotecológica de Guatemala (ABG) (Guatemala)
  6. Asociacion Boliviana de Bibliotecarios-  Filial La Paz (Bolivia)
  7. Asociación Chaqueña de Bibliotecarios (ACHABI) (Argentina)
  8. Asociación Civil de Bibliotecarios Jurídicos (ACBJ) (Argentina)
  9. Asociación Cubana de Bibliotecarios (ASCUBI) (Cuba)
  10. Asociación de Bibliotecarios de El Salvador (El Salvador)
  11. Asociación de Bibliotecarios de Jujuy (ABJ) (Argentina)
  12. Asociación de Bibliotecarios de la Costa Uruguay (Argentina)
  13. Asociación de Bibliotecarios Graduados de la República Argentina (ABGRA) (Argentina)
  14. Asociación de Bibliotecarios Profesionales Rosario (Argentina)
  15. Asociación de Bibliotecarios y Documentalistas de Honduras (ABIDH) (Honduras)
  16. Asociación de Bibliotecólogos del Uruguay (ABU) (Uruguay)
  17. Asociación Mexicana de Bibliotecarios, A. C. (México)
  18. Asociación Nacional de Bibliotecarios Eugenio Espejo (ANABE) (Ecuador)
  19. Asociación Nicaragüense de Bibliotecarios y Profesionales Afines (ANIBIPA) (Nicaragua)
  20. Asociación Panameña de Bibliotecarios (APABIB) (Panamá)
  21. Asociación Paraguaya de Gestores de la Información (APGI) (Paraguay)
  22. Asociación una Biblioteca para mi Pueblo (UBiP) (Perú)
  23. Associação Casa da Árvore (Brasil)
  24. Associação Catarinense de Bibliotecários (ACB) (Brasil)
  25. Associação Clube Literário Tamboril (Brasil)
  26. Associação Cultural Esportiva Social Amigos (ACESA) (Brasil)
  27. Associação de Cegos Louis Braille (Brasil)
  28. Associação dos Bibliotecários e Profissionais da Ciência da Informação do Distrito Federal (Brasil)
  29. Associação dos Bibliotecários do Estado do Piauí (ABEPI) (Brasil)
  30. Associação Nacional de Pesquisa e Pós-Graduação em Ciência da Informação (ANCIB) (Brasil)
  31. Associação Profissional de Bibliotecários da Paraíba (APB-PB) (Brasil)
  32. Associação Profissional de Bibliotecários de Mato Grosso do Sul (APBMS) (Brasil)
  33. Associação Profissional de Bibliotecários de Pernambuco (Brasil)
  34. Associação Profissional dos Bibliotecários e Documentalistas de Sergipe (APBDSE) (Brasil)
  35. Associação Rio-grandense de Bibliotecários (Brasil)
  36. Associação Vaga Lume (Brasil)
  37. Association des Professionnels Bibliothecaires, Archivistes et Documentalistes du Burundi (APROBAD) (Burundi)
  38. Association of Caribbean University, Research and Institutional Libraries (ACURIL)
  39. Association of Hungarian Librarians (MKE) (Hungary)
  40. Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social (BNDES) (Brasil)
  41. Biblioteca Arturo L. Carrión Pacheco de la Universidad Central del Caribe (Puerto Rico)
  42. Biblioteca Brasiliana Guita e José Mindlin (Brasil)
  43. Biblioteca Central de la Universidad Nacional de Villa María (Argentina)
  44. Biblioteca Central de la Universidad Nacional del Comahue (Argentina)
  45. Biblioteca Central da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (Brasil)
  46. Biblioteca Centro para Puerto Rico (Fundación Sila M. Calderón) (Puerto Rico)
  47. Biblioteca de Arquitectura Santiago Iglesias, hijo – Universidad de Puerto Rico – Recinto de Río Piedras (Puerto Rico)
  48. Biblioteca de Ciências Humanas (BCH) da Universidade Federal do Ceará (Brasil)
  49. Biblioteca de la Dirección Nacional de Medio Ambiente, Ministerio de Vivienda, Ordenamiento Territorial y Medio Ambiente (Uruguay)
  50. Biblioteca de la Universidad Ana G. Mendez – Recinto de Cupey (Puerto Rico)
  51. Biblioteca de la FCE – Universidad Austral – Sede Rosario (Argentina)
  52. Biblioteca del Centro Médico de Mar del Plata (Argentina)
  53. Biblioteca del Colegio de Abogados del Departamento Judicial de Moreno – General Rodríguez (Argentina)
  54. Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile (Chile)
  55. Biblioteca del Instituto de Altos Estudios Nacionales (Ecuador)
  56. Biblioteca Depositaria de las Naciones Unidas y Hábitat (Argentina)
  57. Biblioteca Dr. Hipólito González, Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas – Universidad Nacional de Rosario (Argentina)
  58. Biblioteca Especializada del Consejo para la Transparencia (Chile)
  59. Biblioteca Especializada del Instituto de Investigaciones Hortícolas “Liliana Dimitrova” (Cuba)
  60. Biblioteca Juan de Valdés del Seminario Evangélico de Puerto Rico (Puerto Rico)
  61. Biblioteca Licenciado Carlos Alberto Saz – Universidad Autónoma de Santa Ana (UNASA) (El Salvador)
  62. Biblioteca Manuel Belgrano – Facultad de Ciencias Económicas – Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (Argentina)
  63. Biblioteca Municipal “Paula Rached” (Brasil)
  64. Biblioteca Nacional de Angola (Angola)
  65. Biblioteca Nacional de Cuba José Martí (Cuba)
  66. Biblioteca Municipal de Manatí (Puerto Rico)
  67. Biblioteca Nacional de Uruguay (Uruguay)
  68. Biblioteca Nacional Eugenio Espejo (Ecuador)
  69. Biblioteca “Prof. Dr. Marcos Cusminsky” del Hospital Zonal Especializado “Dr. Noel H. Sbarra” (Argentina)
  70. Biblioteca Professor Alfredo Monteiro – Faculdades Oswaldo Cruz (Brasil)
  71. Biblioteca Pública do Estado de Santa Catarina (Brasil)
  72. Biblioteca Pública Municipal Ary Cabral (Brazil)
  73. Biblioteca Pública Municipal Hélio Antônio de Oliveira “Treula” (Brasil)
  74. Biblioteca Pública Pablo Neruda (Chile)
  75. Biblioteca Roger Martínez del Coro de Niños de San Juan (Puerto Rico)
  76. Biblioteca Santiago Iglesias, hijo, Escuela de Arquitectura – Universidad de Puerto Rico – Recinto de Río Piedras (Puerto Rico)
  77. Biblioteca y Archivo Central del Congreso de la Nación (BACCN) (Paraguay)
  78. BIBLIOTHECOM (Haiti)
  79. BiblioWorks (Bolivia)
  80. Biteca (Colombia)
  81. Blog “Alfin en la escuela” (Argentina)
  82. Blog Kaniwá (México)
  83. Câmara Mineira do Livro (Brasil)
  84. Capítulo de Geografía A.C. (México)
  85. Central University of Rajasthan (India)
  86. Centro de Información y Documentación en Farmacodependencia (Costa Rica)
  87. Centro de Información y Tecnología, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales – Universidad de Puerto Rico Recinto de Río Piedras (Puerto Rico)
  88. Centro Universitário CESMAC (Brasil)
  89. Centro Universitário do Rio Grande do Norte (Brasil)
  90. Colegio de Bibliotecarios de Chile A.G. (Chile)
  91. Colegio de Bibliotecólogos del Perú (Perú)
  92. Colegio de Profesionales en Bibliotecología de Costa Rica (COPROBI) (Costa Rica)
  93. Colegio de Profesionales en Ciencias de la Información de Bolivia (CPCIB) (Bolivia)
  94. Colegio Nacional de Bibliotecarios, A.C. (CNB) (México)
  95. Colegio Profesional de Bibliotecarios de San Juan (Argentina)
  96. Comissão Brasileira de Bibliotecas das Instituições da Rede Federal de Educação Profissional, Científica e Tecnológica (CBBI) (Brasil)
  97. Conhecimento Social (Brasil)
  98. Conselho Federal de Biblioteconomia (CFB) (Brasil)
  99. Conselho Regional de Biblioteconomia da 14 Região (CRB 14) (Brasil)
  100. Conselho Regional de Biblioteconomia do Estado de São Paulo – 8ª Região (Brasil)
  101. Consorcio de Centros de Información de Bibliotecas Teológicas (COCEIBIT) (Puerto Rico)
  102. Crops Research Institute (CSIR) (Ghana)
  103. East West University Library (Bangladesh)
  104. Ecole Supérieure Africaine des Technologies de l’Information et de la Communication (ESATIC) (Côte d’Ivoire)
  105. Escuela Graduada de Ciencias y Tecnologías de Información (EGCTI) (Puerto Rico)
  106. Escuela Interamericana de Bibliotecología (Colombia)
  107. Espacios Abiertos (Puerto Rico)
  108. Faculdade Vale do Gorutuba (FAVAG) (Brasil)
  109. Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO) – Sede Ecuador (Ecuador)
  110. Federación Española de Sociedades de Archivística, Biblioteconomía y Museística (FESABID) (España)
  111. Federação Brasileira de Associações de Bibliotecários e Instituições (Brasil)
  112. Fundación Luis Munoz Marín (Puerto Rico)
  113. Fundação Biblioteca Nacional (Brasil)
  114. Ghana Library Association (GLA) (Ghana)
  115. Ghana Library Authority – Laterbiokorshie Branch Library (Ghana)
  116. Goethe-Institut São Paulo (Brasil)
  117. Grupo de Unidades de Información de la Región Central en Salud (UNIRECS) (Colombia)
  118. Grupo Pacto Santa Anita (Peru)
  119. IBBY Chile – Sección Chilena de la Organización Internacional para el Libro Infantil y Juvenil (Chile)
  120. Indian Public Library Movement (India)
  121. Instituto Brasileiro de Informação em Ciência e Tecnologia (IBICT) (Brasil)
  122. Instituto Cultural Abrapalavra (Brasil)
  123. Instituto de Pesquisas, Estudos,Cultura e Educação (IPECE) (Brasil)
  124. Instituto ORIOR (Brasil)
  125. Instituto Profesional Galdames (IPG) Sistema Nacional de Bibliotecas (Chile)
  126. Kenya National Library Service (knls) (Kenya)
  127. LECTIO – Sociedad para la gestión del conocimiento, el acceso a la información y la lectura (Colombia)
  128. Library and You (Nigeria)
  129. Makerere University Library (Uganda)
  130. National Association of Librarians and Information Professionals (Saint Lucia)
  131. National Library and Information Services of The Bahamas (Bahamas)
  132. Norwegian Union of Librarians (Norway)
  133. OpenConnection (Colombia)
  134. Open Knowledge – Brasil (Brasil)
  135. Organización Nacional de Ciegos Españoles (ONCE) (España)
  136. Plano Nacional do Livro e Leitura (PNLL) (Brasil)
  137. Pontifical Catholic University Architecture School (Puerto Rico)
  138. PROBIGUA (Proyecto Bibliotecas Guatemala) (Guatemala)
  139. Programa de Maestria en Bibliotecología de la Universidad Pedagógica Nacional Francisco Morazán (UPNFM) (Honduras)
  140. Puerto Ricans in Action (PRiA) of Los Angeles (United States of America)
  141. Puerto Rico Necesita Bibliotecas (Puerto Rico)
  142. Red de Redes de Información (RECIARIA) (Argentina)
  143. Red Nacional de Asociaciones de Bibliotecarios de la República Argentina (RENABIAR) (Argentina)
  144. Rede de Bibliotecas e Centros de Informação em Arte no Estado do Rio de Janeiro – REDARTE/RJ (Brasil)
  145. REFORMA – Capítulo de Puerto Rico (Puerto Rico)
  146. Saint Louis University – Madrid Campus (España)
  147. Sistema de Bibliotecas da Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP) (Brasil)
  148. Sistema de Bibliotecas e Arquivo da Universidade Federal Fluminense (SDC/UFF) (Brasil)
  149. Sistema Integrado de Bibliotecas da Universidade de São Paulo (Brasil)
  150. Smt. Hansa Mehta Library – The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda (India)
  151. Surcando la Historia, Inc. (Puerto Rico)
  152. Universidad Ana G. Méndez – Recinto de Carolina (Puerto Rico)
  153. Universidad de las Regiones Autónomas de la Costa Caribe Nicaragüense. Sistema Bibliotecario (Nicaragua)
  154. Universidad de Puerto Rico – Recinto de Río Piedras (Puerto Rico)
  155. Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja (UTPL) (Ecuador)
  156. Universidad Teológica del Caribe (Puerto Rico)
  157. Universidade Federal da Bahia (Brasil)
  158. Universidade Federal da Integração Latino-Americana (UNILA) (Brasil)
  159. Universidade Federal de Sergipe (Brasil)
  160. Universidade Federal de Uberlândia (UFU) (Brasil)
  161. Universiteit van Suriname Bibliotheek (Suriname)
  162. University of Ghana – Accra City Campus (ACC) Library (Ghana)
  163. University of Health and Allied Sciences Library (Ghana)
  164. University of The Bahamas (Bahamas)

*If you have signed the Declaration and your organisation’s name does not appear after a few days, please contact us: DA2I@ifla.org. If you are having problems to submit the form online, please download this form in Word, complete it and send it attached to DA2I@ifla.org.