ACE in Action: Amplifying Voices in our Libraries
Dr. Heba Mohamed Ismail
Vice – President of Arab Federation for Libraries and Information
The Climate crisis: A call for cross-sector collaboration
Climate change presents a growing threat to governments worldwide, with rising greenhouse gas emissions, extreme weather events, and sea level rise requiring rapid, coordinated responses.
According to the Sustainable Development Goals Report 2025, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) confirmed that 2024 was the hottest year on record—reaching approximately 1.55°C above pre-industrial levels.
Libraries and climate empowerment: unlocking untapped potential
There is a pressing need to engage libraries in climate empowerment efforts, highlight their vital contributions,
Understanding ACE: A framework for community climate action
The term Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) was adopted by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The Action for Climate Empowerment Guide: For Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and "Museums"
Libraries as agents of change in ACE implementation
Given their trusted status and accessibility within communities, libraries are uniquely positioned to implement the six pillars of Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE). By aligning their services with ACE priorities—such as education, public awareness, and participation—libraries can shift from passive knowledge providers to proactive facilitators of climate action. This alignment strengthens community resilience and enhances libraries' contributions toward achieving sustainable development goals.
As McGuire (2022) noted, this presents an opportunity for libraries to amplify the work they are doing to empower their communities to take climate action. There is also scope for libraries to contribute to outreach and communication strategies to inform the public.
Strategic actions for public libraries
So, what can public libraries do to support national and global climate efforts?
To support the implementation of ACE and contribute meaningfully to climate action, public libraries can adopt the following strategies. These actions are designed to align with national climate goals, support community resilience, and reflect libraries’ evolving role in sustainable development.
1. Engage in the development of the country's national strategies for climate action.
2. Communicate with the National ACE Focal Points for Climate Action, which coordinate climate action activities undertaken by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, to explore prospects for cooperation and provide the necessary support.
3. Include library activities, programs, and services in the Voluntary National Review (VNR), which is issued every three years and presents the country's progress towards achieving the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals.
4. Develop a strategic climate action plan that covers all six axes of action for climate action, with all activities, events, and programs being included under this plan's umbrella.
5. Encourage libraries to participate in preparing reports on their climate action, and ensuring that libraries are well represented in the "Progress in the Implementation of the Glasgow Programme of Action" report, submitted by the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, similar to International Federation for Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA).
6. Provide knowledge about climate change through collaboration with schools and educational institutions, encouraging community participation, developing joint educational programs, organizing field visits, and supporting student research projects.
7. Strengthen sustainable environmental awareness programs, expanding the scope of interactive programs and workshops targeting all segments of society, and focusing on providing diverse content that covers all aspects of climate change in a scientific and realistic manner, taking into account cultural and educational differences among target groups, in partnership with government and community entities, and in line with national plans.
8. Develop specialized training programs for library specialists on climate change and climate empowerment topics to enhance their capacity to provide environmental guidance and effectively contribute to raising community awareness about climate challenges. Additionally, organize practical workshops for beneficiaries in areas such as recycling and agriculture to infuse theoretical knowledge into practical behaviors and skills, and motivate the community to adopt sustainable lifestyles.
9. Support environmental initiatives with humanitarian and social dimensions, and expand the scope of initiatives for people with special needs and people of determination by developing interactive educational activities and programs that suit them.
10. Maximize the use of social media strategically, using it as a platform for climate awareness, encouraging positive behaviors related to sustainability, disseminating environmental knowledge, and promoting events and programs. It is important to participate in large-scale media campaigns to increase community awareness.
11. Include a clause in the collection development policy specifically dedicated to providing information resources on climate change issues, ensuring equal access to knowledge and resources on climate empowerment, including printed and electronic resources in multiple languages, addressing the needs of all ages, utilizing technology to enhance access, and providing open access to information and educational resources.
12. Establish agreements and partnerships with relevant and competent authorities in the country to form a roadmap for libraries that enhances their ability to support mitigating the effects of climate change or working to adapt to these changes. Strengthen community partnerships to support environmental behavioral change by implementing field environmental campaigns such as afforestation and sustainable transportation, while encouraging positive environmental behaviors such as recycling and home gardening through periodic events held inside and outside libraries.
13. Promote practical practices when designing educational and training programs offered to beneficiaries within the framework of climate empowerment, utilize documentaries, incorporate artificial intelligence programs to attract attention, and tailor content to suit all segments of society.
14. Adopt effective tools to measure the impact of climate programs and activities on user behavior, utilize social media to gather feedback that contributes to improving future strategies, and adopt tools such as opinion polls and periodic evaluations to help improve performance and enhance community engagement.
15. Activating regional and international cooperation through the exchange of expertise, translation of specialized documents, and active participation in international environmental events, in addition to developing joint research projects between libraries concerned with studying the effects of climate change and encouraging innovation in this field.
Conclusion
As climate change intensifies, the role of libraries must evolve beyond traditional boundaries. Through intentional alignment with ACE principles and national climate strategies, libraries can empower individuals and communities to engage in meaningful climate action—locally, nationally, and globally.
References
Kornfeind, M. (2022). Advocacy and action: How libraries across the globe are addressing climate change. World Libraries, 26(1).
McGhie, H. A. (2022). Action for Climate Empowerment: A guide for galleries, libraries, archives and museums. Curating Tomorrow.
McGuire, C. (2022). Libraries and the Glasgow work programme on Action for Climate Empowerment.
Paas, L. (2016). Action for Climate Empowerment: Guidelines for accelerating solutions through education, training and public awareness. UNESCO Publishing.
United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs. (2025, July). The
Sustainable Development Goals Report 2025 (ISBN 978-9211071597).
https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2025/
Heba Ismail – Career Profile
Education:
- December 2017. PhD in Librarianship & Information Science. Cairo University, Faculty of Arts, Department of Librarianship, Archives and Information Science, Egypt.
Work experience:/
- Libraries Technical Manager - Egypt's Society for Culture and Development "ESCD" – Libraries Technical Administration Cairo, Egypt.
Contributions:
- Vice-president of the Arab Federation for Libraries and information (AFLI).
- Author of the report 'The Learning to Lead: A Scan of Global Library Field Practice', the first-of-its-kind IFLA publication, which aims to provide a representative and comprehensive overview of leadership programs run by library associations, libraries, museums, archives, and related organizations.
- Representing IFLA in COP27 by participating in events in the Green Zone and represent the Climate Heritage Network in the Blue Zone during the thematic day on Youth & Future Generations.
- Served as Secretary of the IFLA Continuing Professional Development & Workplace Learning (CPDWL) Section from 2019 to 2021 and as a member from 2021 to 2027.
- Director of the International Network of Emerging Library Innovators – Middle East and North Africa "INELI-MENA" (Two & half year program to enhance leadership skills for 31 Arab public librarians) funded by Global Libraries at Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) and conducted by AFLI.
- Director of the 2030 Arab Librarians: Towards the road to sustainable development goals program (7 Month program to train 31 librarians on Advocacy and SDGs) funded by IFLA & implemented by AFLI.
Awards:
- Naseej Award for Pioneers in Libraries and Information, Professional Excellence Branch for the year 2021.
- Library Journal’s Movers and Shakers 2019, available at: https://www.libraryjournal.com/?detailStory=heba-mohamed-ismail-movers-shakers-2019-educators.
- Honor shield from the U.S Embassy in Cairo in recognition of the effort exerted in civic engagement in the 1st Annual Alumni Award (2014).
About the African Perspectives Series
TheAfrican Perspective Series was launched at the 2022 Nigeria International Book Fair with the first set of commissioned papers written and presented by authors of the UN SDG Book Club African Chapter. The objective of African Perspectives is to have African authors contribute to the global conversation around development challenges afflicting the African continent and to publish these important papers on Borders Literature for all Nations, in the SDG Book Club Africa blog hosted in Stories at UN Namibia, on pan-African.net and other suitable platforms. In this way, our authors' ideas about the way forward for African development, can reach the widest possible interested audience. The African Perspectives Series is an initiative and property of Borders Literature for all Nations.
