IPA launches 1000 Actions campaign to promote sustainability efforts in the publishing industry

The International Publishers Association (IPA) has announced a new initiative to showcase the publishing industry’s contributions to global sustainability. The campaign, called “Turning the Page: 1000 Actions for a Sustainable Future,” calls on publishers to document what they are doing to support the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The hope, the IPA said in a press release, is to document 1,000 individual actions by publishers and their staff by the end of 2024, including initiatives within their organizations, in their communities or beyond. To participate, publishers are encouraged to:

• Share your SDG-related activities with IPA
• Publish these actions on the IPA SDG Dashboard
• Download the campaign logo and link to your stories
• When sharing on social media, use the hashtags #SDGPublishersCompact and #ActNow

This initiative comes ahead of the 34th International Publishers Congress, which will be held in Guadalajara in November. At the event, Melissa Fleming, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, will deliver a keynote address highlighting the importance of the industry in promoting sustainable development.

“We need to accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals and publishing can play its part in this,” said Karine Pansa, President of the IPA. “I know that publishers everywhere, big and small, are taking action to make a difference. We call on all publishers to tell us about their activities and inspire others to get involved.”

The title of the IPA campaign is a nod to the wider UN initiative One Million Actions for Our Common Future, which includes the SDGs. “The UN is preparing for the Future Summit in September and all our efforts are focused on contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030,” said Mary Glenn, Head of UN Publications. “The publishing industry’s support for the One Million Actions for Our Common Future initiative comes at a crucial time and shows that only together can we create a better future.”