Cultural heritage preservation (SDG 11)

SDG 11 aims to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. In addition, SDG 11.4 seeks to preserve the world's cultural and natural heritage and strengthen the link between urban and rural areas to generate mutually beneficial development.

In this sense, the Sancho el Sabio Vital Foundation plays a key role in its mission to preserve Basque cultural memory, a task it has been carrying out since 1964, investing resources in safeguarding the paper and digital documentation it compiles, providing access to them and developing awareness-raising, research and alliance activities aimed at strengthening the protection of cultural and natural heritage.

Public access to information (SDG 16)

As a research library, the Sancho el Sabio Vital Foundation is a key institution in achieving these Objectives. Public access to information enables people to make informed decisions that can improve their lives. Communities that have access to timely and relevant information are better positioned to eradicate poverty and inequality, improve agriculture, provide quality education, and promote health, culture, research and innovation.

Access to information has been recognised in Goal 16 of the SDGs: Target 16.10. Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national laws and international agreements. Culture (obj1.4) and ICTs (obj. 5b,9c,17.8) have also been included in the SDGs.

In our knowledge society, libraries provide access and opportunities for all, and universal literacy is recognised in the vision of the United Nations 2030 Agenda. The library and archive service of the Sancho el Sabio Vital Foundation:

  • ensures that information and the knowledge to use this information is available to all, making it a key institution in the digital age.
  • provides infrastructure for information and communication technologies (ICT), through its digital library and archive
  • helps people develop the capacity to use information effectively,
  • preserves information to ensure permanent access for future generations.
  • provides a reliable and established network of local institutions that can reach out to all sectors of the population.

Partnerships with the sector and cultural actors (SDG 17)

SDG 17, Partnerships to Achieve the Goals, encourages different sectors and actors to work together in an integrated way by pooling financial resources, knowledge and expertise.

The Sancho el Sabio Vital Foundation is a private non-profit organisation that collaborates with other cultural agents, both public and private, to achieve the common objectives of access to information and cultural heritage.

Energía (SDG 7)

Sancho el Sabio Vital Foundation, as part of its commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and specifically SDG 7 in the search for affordable and non-polluting energy, has installed photovoltaic panels on the roof of its headquarters at Portal de Betoño 23 in Vitoria-Gasteiz in 2022.

The installation has been supported under the EU-funded Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan - NextGenerationEU.