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The Library of Congress of the Argentine Nation

The Library of the National Congress of Chile

The General Directorate of Documentation, Information and Analysis Services of the House of Representatives of Mexico

In Valparaíso, Chile, on March 15, 2017, within the framework of the midyear meeting of the Latin America and the Caribbean Section of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) held in Valparaíso and Santiago de Chile on March 15-16, 2017, with the attendance of Mrs. Glòria Pérez-Salmerón, President-elect of IFLA; the Library of the National Congress of Chile, represented by its Director Mr. Manuel Alfonso Pérez Guíñez; the Library of Congress of the Argentine Nation, represented by its General  Coordinating Director Mr. Alejandro Lorenzo César Santa, and the House of Representatives of Mexico, represented by Mr. José María Hernández Vallejos, General Director of Documentation, Information and Analysis Services of the House of Representatives of Mexico. All of them agree on the need to strengthen cooperation among parliamentary libraries of Latin America and the Caribbean. The signing parties of this document commit themselves to share experiences and knowledge within the framework of parliamentary libraries.

For such purposes and according to the activities developed by IFLA, we commit ourselves to make all the necessary efforts with the parliamentary libraries in the region to contribute to the strengthening of legislative work and citizen representation of our parliaments, in order to promote the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals set forth by the United Nations Organization for the year 2030. Among these goals, special attention is paid to Goal 16.10: “Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements.”

By resorting to cooperation to identify common goals and progress to further advance on the improvement of our parliamentary libraries, and in accordance with their respective missions, the representatives of the undersigned institutions hereby declare:

FIRST: That we agree to commit ourselves to strengthening relations among parliamentary libraries of Latin America and the Caribbean.

SECOND: That, in view of the foregoing, we agree to establish a Network of Parliamentary Libraries for Latin America and the Caribbean, in order to forge close bonds with the libraries, and most important of all to foster  the exchange of experiences, legislative research and professional capacity building for librarians, so as to contribute to strengthen democracy in our countries.

THIRD: That we express the need to extend the scope of this agreement to encompass all libraries and documentation centers that support the legislative, supervisory and representative work of the national congresses of the region. For such purposes, we commit ourselves to take the necessary steps to bring together the largest possible number of relevant institutions to join the Network of Parliamentary Libraries.

Signed on 15 March 2017, by:

Glòria Pérez-Salmerón, President-elect of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions

Alejandro Lorenzo César Santa, General Coordinating Director of the Library of Congress of the Argentine Nation

Manuel Alfonso Pérez Guíñez, Director of the Library of the National Congress of Chile

José María Hernández Vallejos, General Director of Documentation, Information and Analysis Services of the House of Representatives of Mexico