Wikimania 2019 will take place on 14–18 August at Stockholm University. Hosted by Wikimedia Sweden, the conference will bring together leaders within free knowledge spaces across the world for five days of pioneering discussions on the role of Wikimedia and free knowledge in fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) outlined by the United Nations in its 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Why we chose this theme
In September 2015, all United Nations member states in the world adopted a “universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity.” Seventeen SDGs were announced, all of them aiming toward a sustainable world.
These SDGs have given people, organizations, and governments across the world a shared framework for their work, efforts, and investments. The goals include the right to quality education, a reduction of gender inequalities, ensuring innovations, empowering people regardless of their background, supporting the development of global partnerships and achieving sustainable societies.
They correspond well to Wikimedia’s vision of creating a world “in which every single human being can freely share in the sum of all knowledge.” By inviting the SDGs as a thematic framework for Wikimania 2019, we hope to encourage attendees to reflect on the broader implications of Wikimedia’s work within the global context and discuss how our movement can contribute to achieving the SDGs.
This year’s theme will be seen throughout the program, as session leaders will be asked to discuss their projects’ impact on achieving the global goals.
“The Global Goals can only be met if we work together. To build a better world, we need to be supportive, empathetic, inventive, passionate, and, above all, cooperative.”
– Goal 17 of the SDGs.
Michael Peter Edson, the co-founder and Associate Director of The Museum for the United Nations — UN Live, will deliver a keynote address at the conference.
“The thing I love about the SDGs is that they are shared goals,” he says. “They don’t belong to me. They don’t belong to you. They belong to everyone. And they require effort from everyone if we are going to succeed. The SDGs are there exactly to help groups such as Wikimedia bring stakeholders together to find new ways to take action to create a sustainable future.”
We look forward to discussing the goals, and to discussing ways to work together to create a sustainable future. See you in Sweden!
Eric Luth, Conference Manager
Wikimedia Sweden (Sverige)
For more information on this year’s theme, see Wikimania’s website and the UN’s home for the sustainable development goals.
