8 - Information Skills and the SDGs in Everyday Life

Summary

Introduction

‘The Sustainable Development Goals are the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. They address the global challenges we face, including poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice’, points out the UN SDG website (United Nations, n.d.a). As discussed earlier in the book, and especially in Chapters 6 and 7, access to digital technologies and digital skills are the essential prerequisites for being part of, and making contributions to, the SDGs. SDG9.c sets a specific Target for access to ICT and the internet as follows:

SDG9c: Significantly increase access to information and communications technology and strive to provide universal and affordable access to the internet in least developed countries by 2020

(UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, n.d.f)

Specific Indicators have also been set for measuring success in improving access to the internet and information. For example, Indicator 17.6.1 is designed to measure ‘fixed Internet broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants, by speed’, and Indicator 17.8.1 is designed to measure the ‘proportion of individuals using the Internet’ (UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, n.d.d). Similarly, Indicator 16.10.2 is designed to measure the ‘number of countries that adopt and implement constitutional, statutory and/or policy guarantees for public access to information’ (UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, n.d.c).

However, access to digital technologies, or introducing legislation for access to information, do not alone guarantee that everyone will be able to access and use information and data required for their everyday life, work, citizenship and contributions to the SDGs. An important set of literacy and skills set – known as information literacy or information skills – is required for this. Information literacy, or the UNESCO's concept of media and information literacy (MIL), enables people to discover, access and make optimum use of data and information required in the context of everyday living – learning, work, healthy living, citizenship, and so on.

This chapter discusses the importance of information literacy in general, and in the context of the SDGs in particular. Drawing on the definition and importance of information literacy, and analysis of some of the latest data on the information literacy and information skills of people in different parts of the world, this chapter demonstrates how concerted efforts are needed to improve these skills for achieving success in the SDGs.