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UNESCO Celebrates World Book Day

Every April 23, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) celebrates World Book and Copyright Day to celebrate the role print has had on world development.

This year, the City of Bangkok has been designated World Book Capital 2013 in recognition of its programs to promote reading among young people and the underprivileged sections of its population.

Now in its 17th year, the celebration reflects on “the changes in books over the long term and the intangible values that should guide us.” It also embraces new technologies in digital books to access knowledge at reduced costs and are not limited by geographic boundaries. UNESCO supports the World Digital Library, which makes a number of texts from around the world available free of charge and in multiple languages to promote intercultural understanding.

“The diversity of books and editorial content is a source of enrichment that we must support through appropriate public policies and protect from uniformity,” writes Irina Bokova, Director General for World Book and Copyright Day 2013. “This bibliodiversity is our common wealth, making books much more than a physical object, for they are our most beautiful invention for sharing ideas beyond the boundaries of space and time.”

The event is supported by the International Publishers Association (IPA), the International Booksellers Federation (IBF), the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), and the El Centro Regional para el Formento de Libro en América Latina y el Caribe (CERLALC).

For more information, visit the World Book and Copyright Day 2013 website.