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In 2019, the United Nations will launch a review of the whole 2030 Agenda. While it is still unclear where the focus of this will be, it\u2019s a useful opportunity to look back across the Sustainable Development Goals<\/a>, and the process in place for monitoring their implementation.<\/p>\n What\u2019s clear is the progress that the Agenda has brought. On 25 September 2015, governments agreed to taking a truly holistic approach to development. They recognised that progress in any one area is dependent on progress elsewhere, and that there are cross-cutting themes.<\/p>\n The implication is that governments need to be thinking about certain issues across their work. In effect, these need to be \u2018mainstreamed\u2019 \u2013 taken into account in everything else they do.<\/p>\n Such themes include questions like equality or sustainability. To give the example of education, governments should be thinking about how to ensure that all children have access to quality schooling, regardless of their background. They should be teaching children about how to live sustainably, and giving them the skills to get \u2018green\u2019 jobs in future.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Access is Everywhere\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n Access to information is another key example of a theme that needs to be taken into account across the work of governments. It is not only included explicitly in SDG 16.10, but appears in nearly 20 other SDG targets. Indeed, there are few policy areas where access to information does not contribute to equity and effectiveness.<\/p>\n To take just a few examples, SDG 2.3 underlines the need for small farmers to have access to knowledge, while 2c calls for access to market information. In other words, we will only get to ‘zero hunger’ with access to information.<\/p>\n Under SDG3 (good health and wellbeing), target 3.4 mentions the need to prevent disease (in which information is essential), and 3.7 clearly talks about the need for information and education around reproductive health.<\/p>\n Target 5b stresses that women need to be able to access and use information technologies, and target 13.3 places an emphasis on education and awareness raising around climate change.<\/p>\n As IFLA has underlined a number of times, this represents an affirmation of libraries, and of the meaningful access to information that they provide. By offering a welcoming, public space, with dedicated staff and access to resources, libraries are an ideal tool for achieving progress across the board.<\/p>\n With access to information mainstreamed across the Agenda, libraries truly are partners for development.\u00a0 The Development and Access to Information report<\/a>, produced by IFLA in partnership with the Technology and Social Change Group at the University of Washington, offers further examples.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n But Risks Being No-Where<\/strong><\/p>\n Yet mainstreaming comes with challenges, not least in the case of access to information.<\/p>\n Because when everyone benefits, no single ministry or agency takes responsibility for it. There is no single source of funding to make sure it happens.<\/p>\n It risks being seen as a secondary priority compared to other things, less urgent, less necessary.<\/p>\n This can be a problem in the case of libraries, which need adequate support to be able to function effectively. Almost all ministries in governments benefit from their work \u2013 education, health, agriculture, economy, innovation, and of course culture \u2013 but it is often only one that carries the costs of running them.<\/p>\n