This year from 1 to 17 December, Iowa City, partnered with other UNESCO Creative Cities of Literature including Melbourne, Manchester and Dunedin, launched the 4^th edition of the “17 Books for 17 SDGs”. As in its previous editions, book suggestions related to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were tweeted by the participating cities.

Running under the hashtag #17Booksfor17SDGs, this initiative aims to raise awareness of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through fiction and non-fiction books addressing one Goal of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development each day. In addition, the Creative Cities involved also share the list of selected books at the local level to increase the reach of these titles worldwide.

UNESCO Creative Cities of Literature celebrate the unique value of literature in influencing readers, helping them to understand reality in its complexity, improving the quality of communication and expression of ideas, and honing empathy. The initiative is intended to nurture a privileged space for cultural education, harnessing the power of literature to raise awareness, promote education, and ensure sustainable development.

To discover more about this project, please follow the hashtag #17Booksfor17SDGs on Twitter.