The 2030 agenda that was approved this week has “Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements”.

The new 2030 Agenda is a framework of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with a total of 179 Targets spanning economic, environmental and social development. They lay out a plan for all countries to actively engage in making our world better for its people and the planet https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/7891TRANSFORMING%20OUR%20WORLD.pdf

The 2030 Agenda includes access to information, universal literacy, safeguarding of cultural and natural heritage, as well as access to Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) being strongly represented across the agenda. Target 16.10 strongly stipulates “Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements”

Health is very much present in the agenda as the whole of Goal 3. “Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages” is there in addition to the extensive links between health and other targets in the agenda. WHO has just published its Global Reference List of 100 Core Health Indicators, 2015 http://www.who.int/healthinfo/indicators/2015/en/ .

The 2030 Agenda will help all UN Member States focus their attention on poverty eradication, climate change, and the development of people. It is clear that libraries, information services, ICTs and all other information infrastrcutre faciities, services and plocies will contribute to this agenda.

The official version of the post-2015 Development Agenda will be adopted by Heads of State at the United Nations Summit in New York, September 25-27 2015.

Kind regards.

Najeeb Al-Shorbaji

Director, Knowledge, Ethics and Research

World Health Organization,

20 Avenue Appia

Geneva 27,