Launch of the SDG Publishers Compact: Inviting publishers to make a more sustainable future
Geneva, New York, Frankfurt, 14 October 2020 – Players from across the publishing industry are being invited to pledge their commitment to the future by signing a new Sustainable Development Goals Publishers Compact(opens in a new window), launched today at the start of Frankfurter Buchmesse (14-18 October 2020). The compact features 10 action points that publishers, publishing associations and others can commit to undertaking in order to accelerate progress to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. Signatories aspire to develop sustainable practices and act as champions of the SDGs during the Decade of Action (2020-2030), publishing books and journals that will help inform, develop and inspire action in that direction.
Publishers and publishing associations interested in joining the initiative are invited to sign up online via https://bit.ly/3jJ7sNL(opens in a new window). Official hashtag: #SDGPublishersCompact
Please find the Official Launch video – going online at 9.30am CEST today – here: http://www.bit.ly/SDGcompactLaunch(opens in a new window)
Hugo Setzer, President, International Publishers Association, said “Publishers can play such an important role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals through the books we publish but we must also look at our business practices and contribute in our own right. This compact gives publishers the opportunity to mark their commitment with clear targets for them to aim for.”
Melissa Fleming, Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, United Nations, said: “With the Decade of Action now under way, we are looking to build a coalition of partners to help us identify and accelerate sustainable solutions to the world’s biggest challenges.
That’s why we at the United Nations are excited to know that the publishing industry is becoming part of this global movement. This Compact is a welcome initiative and one we hope will showcase innovative ideas from a sector that has a critical role to play in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.”
Juergen Boos, Director of Frankfurter Buchmesse, said: “Frankfurter Buchmesse is the annual meeting place for the publishing industry. It does not only bring international publishers and communities together to facilitate business deals and promote literature but the book fair is also the platform where current societal issues are being discussed in the spotlight of the global media. The fair is therefore ideally placed for the launch of this timely and important initiative. I would strongly encourage publishers to sign up to the SDG Publishers Compact and commit, together, to help create a sustainable future for us all.”
Nadja Kneissler, Chairwoman of the Publishers' Committee of the German Publishers and Booksellers Association, said: “At the German Publishers & Booksellers Association, we do not only want to watch the future unfold. Instead, we want to actively shape it. The book industry plays a vital role in our society. Therefore, publishers and booksellers feel a special responsibility to help shape social developments. In order to do so, we must stand up for core values and promote critical thinking. The challenges of social inequality and climate change haven’t gone away just because we are currently occupied by the effects of the corona pandemic. The German book market can serve as a role model by driving positive change through entrepreneurial initiative and sustainable publishing activities.”
The SDG Publishers Compact follows a successful collaboration between the United Nations and the International Publishers Association, alongside other book sector stakeholders that has resulted in the successful launch of the SDG Book Club and subsequent chapters in other languages.
About the SDG Publishers Compact
The SDG Publishers Compact is a voluntary commitment that recognizes the responsibility of the publishing industry to create a sustainable future through action. Signatories aspire to develop sustainable practices and act as champions of the SDGs during the Decade of Action (2020-2030), publishing books and journals that will help inform, develop and inspire action in that direction. This compact follows other compacts for the Media sector and businesses in general.
https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sdg-publishers-compact/(opens in a new window)
About the SDG Book Club
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Book Club was launched at Bologna International Childrens Book Fair in 2019 and aims to use books as a tool to encourage children ages 6-12 to interact with the principles of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through a curated reading list of books from around the world related to each of the 17 SDGs in all six official UN languages—Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish.
https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sdgbookclub/ (opens in a new window)
About the SDGs
The 17 Sustainable Development Goals were adopted by world leaders at the historic Sustainable Development Summit in September 2015. Encompassing everything from health, to gender equality, and education, the Goals will mobilize efforts around the world to end all forms of poverty, fight inequalities and tackle climate change, while ensuring that no one is left behind.
https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/ (opens in a new window)
Contact for the media:
SDG Publishers Compact
Sherri Aldis, Chief UN Publications, aldis@un.org(opens in a new window)
International Publishers Association
James Taylor, Director of Communications and Freedom to Publish
+41 79 821 22 30, taylor@internationalpublishers.org(opens in a new window)
Frankfurter Buchmesse
Press & Corporate Communication, Frankfurter Buchmesse
Katja Böhne, Vice President Marketing & Communications, Phone: +49 (0) 69 2102-138(opens in a new window), press@buchmesse.de(opens in a new window)
Kathrin Grün, Head of Communications, Phone: +49 (0) 69 2102-170(opens in a new window), gruen@buchmesse.de(opens in a new window)
Ines Bachor, PR Manager, Phone: +49 (0) 69 2102-189(opens in a new window), bachor@buchmesse.de(opens in a new window)
