Digital preservation as an accelerator of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the 2030 Agenda: the strategic role of institutional repositories

Abstract

ntroduction: The accelerated growth of digital information and the need to ensure authenticity, integrity, and long-term accessibility of scientific production highlight the importance of digital preservation in contemporary society. Institutional Repositories (IRs) play a strategic role in supporting Open Access (OA), promoting transparency, and strengthening information governance. The United Nations 2030 Agenda reinforces this perspective by emphasizing that sustainable development depends on reliable, inclusive, and sustainable informational infrastructures.Objective: To analyze how digital preservation and IRs function as accelerators of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDGs 4, 9, 10, 12, 16, and 17.Methodology: This qualitative, exploratory, and descriptive study is based on bibliographic and documentary review. National and international frameworks (LAI, Open Data Policy, ISO 16363, UNESCO, UN) and literature related to digital preservation, OA, interoperability, and information governance were examined. Part of the analytical corpus derives from the author’s dissertation, articulating categories such as preservation, visibility, equity, and sustainability. Results: The findings reveal that IRs operate as essential sociotechnical infrastructures to democratize access to knowledge, strengthen educational practices, promote technological innovation, reduce informational inequalities, optimize institutional resources, and increase transparency. IRs also enhance partnerships and internationalization by adopting interoperability standards such as DOI, ORCID, OAI-PMH, METS, and PREMIS. These contributions directly support the SDGs analyzed.Conclusion: IRs transcend their traditional archival role and emerge as strategic instruments for sustainable development. By integrating digital preservation, OA, and information governance, they contribute to more inclusive, innovative, and sustainable knowledge ecosystems aligned with the principles of the 2030 Agenda.