Development and Access to Information 2019

Abstract

Access to information is essential for the empowerment of individuals, the effectiveness of policies, and the accountability of governments. When everyone can enjoy it, it is a driver of sustainable development across all of its dimensions. When it is absent, insufficient or unequal, opportunities are missed, decisions are poorer, and progress is stifled. Libraries are vital in ensuring that everyone can benefit from access to information, making stronger, fairer societies a reality for all.

This report – the second in the series following the first edition in 20171– provides further evidence, examples and analysis of this contribution, and of the role of libraries in achieving it. It is explicitly focused on the United Nations 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), which provide both an affirmation of the importance of access to information for development, and a framework for thinking about how to realize its potential.