World Book and Copyright Day 2026, April 23rd.

FORUM: "The power of books." World Book and Copyright Day 2026. The Activities will include readings of books and plays; the distribution of bookmarks; the announcement of the winners of literary competitions. Follow the conversations with the hashtags: #reading, #WorldBookDay, #CopyrightDay, #WorldBookCapitalCity #23april, #WorldBookandCopyrightDay.

EVENTS: April 23rd marks World Book and Copyright Day 2026. For Africa, the occasion highlights the journey of its literature, the struggles of its authors, and the continent's growing contribution to global storytelling.During the day, we will explore the status of books in Africa in a digital era that has largely re-written information consumption. We also share a selection of African books worth reading. Watch the documentary entitled'' Turning pages in a digital age.''

Every year, as part of celebrations for World Book and Copyright Day, a World Book Capital is selected by UNESCO and international organizations representing the major sectors of the book industry – publishers, booksellers and libraries. Selected cities promote books and reading for all age groups and across all of society, in the host country and beyond. To date, UNESCO has designated 26 World Book Capitals, from Madrid, Spain, in 2001, to Rabat, Morocco, in 2026.

In a recent statement, UNESCO highlighted Rabat's commitment to fostering the book industry and encouraging reading through its 54 publishing houses; it also hosts Africa's third-largest international book fair. Rabat aims to come up with various initiatives to improve access to books, bolster the local publishing sector, and advance literacy among all age groups and demographics, both nationally and internationally.

The statement added that the celebrations are set to commence on April 23, 2026, coinciding with the World Book and Copyright Day.  As Rabat Opens Book Capital Year, Minister Says Books Shape Society Morocco’s Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research, and Innovation said the launch of the new Rabat book fair edition comes at a defining cultural moment, as the capital begins its year as UNESCO’s “World Book Capital 2026.”.

“The book is the basis, the source and the starting point of science and knowledge,” the minister told Morocco World News (MWN), arguing that books shape students’ scientific, critical, and analytical thinking while also supporting “psychological balance, intellectual balance and social balance.”
He said Rabat fully deserves the international recognition, describing the Moroccan capital as one of the most beautiful capitals in the world and stressing that the title should serve as more than a symbolic distinction.
The minister also said promoting books cannot remain the job of schools alone. He called on families, universities, civil society groups, and Moroccans at large to help build a stronger culture of reading and writing from an early age, saying that preserving Morocco’s identity and civilization depends on giving books the place they deserve.

Throughout the year, the city will host a wide range of cultural programs, public readings, and community-driven initiatives aimed at making literature more accessible to all.

Statement of the Director of the UNESCO Office in the Caribbean on World Book and Copyright Day 2026, April 23rd.

World Book and Copyright Day invites us to return to something both simple and essential. The role of books in how we think, learn, and imagine the world. Even as our daily lives become increasingly digital, books remain a unique space of depth and continuity. They slow us down in a useful way. They allow ideas to unfold over time rather than in fragments. Whether in print or digital form, they remain one of the most powerful tools for education, cultural memory, and critical reflection. The digital age has of course transformed how we access knowledge. Information is now immediate, abundant, and global. This brings enormous opportunities. More voices can be published, more readers can be reached, and knowledge can circulate more freely than ever before. But it also brings challenges. Attention is more fragmented. Information can be more volatile. And not all content carries the same level of verification or depth.
In this context, books continue to offer a reference point, a space where ideas are structured, curated, and often more carefully developed. Rather than seeing books and digital media as opposites, it is perhaps more useful to see them as complimentary. Digital platforms can expand access to reading, especially in places where physical books are less available. At the same time, the book form, whether printed or electronic,still provides a discipline of thought that remains vital in an age of rapid consumption. This is why initiatives such as the world book capital are so meaningful.
Each year, UNESCO designates a city for its commitment to books and reading and for its efforts to strengthen the entire ecosystem that supports them from authors and publishers to libraries and readers.
This year, the world book capital is Rabbat in Morocco. It is a city with a rich intellectual tradition and a vibrant cultural life and its designation reflects a broader commitment to literacy, creativity, and dialogue.

In celebrating World Book and Copyright Day, we are not only celebrating books as objects. We are celebrating the ecosystems they sustain and the ways in which they continue to anchor reflection, imagination, and shared understanding even in a deeply digital world.

Director of the UNESCO Office in the Caribbean.

At UNOV; To celebrate the World Book and Copyright Day 2026, the IAEA, UNOV, and CTBTO will jointly host a variety of in-person and virtual events on April 23rd. See below for the agenda or to register to attend. We look forward to your participation! 

23 April 2026 --- 09:30 – 10:30 Tour IAEA Archives IAEA Meeting Point A04 Elevators.
10:30 – 11:00 Presentation From metadata to full text: how INIS delivers nuclear knowledge worldwide Ms Olga Vakula (IAEA) F0146 – IAEA Lise Meitner Library & Online

11:15 – 12:00 Daughters’ day event.
Chinese calligraphy workshop (only for registered daughters) IAEA F0146 – IAEA Lise Meitner Library
11:30 – 14:00 Event Meet and Greet IAEA Publishing Section and Archives, UNOV, CTBTO libraries IAEA, CTBTO, UNOV A Building ground floor & Cafeteria
12:00 – 13:00 Event Library Tour & Meet and Greet the Library and INIS Teams IAEA F0146 – IAEA Lise Meitner Library
14:00 – 14:30 Opening Remarks  IAEA DDG-NE and DDG-MT
UNESCO Representative Ms Klara Koštal, Head of Department: Diversity of Cultural Expressions  F0146 – IAEA Lise Meitner Library
14:30 – 15:15 Talk Future Needs Wisdom: a personal view on the future of research under the spell of AI Prof. Helga Nowotny F0146 – IAEA Lise Meitner Library
15:15 – 15:45 Closing World Book and Copyright Day Remarks followed by light refreshments IAEA F0146 – IAEA Lise Meitner Library

Schedule of World Book and Copyright Week 2026; Tuesday April 23rd.

09:30 – 10:30 (Meeting Point A04 Elevators)
Tour - IAEA Archives.

Tour - IAEA Archives The IAEA Archives are a pillar of the IAEA’s institutional memory, spanning over 70 years and comprising over 10,000 shelf metres of hard-copy records and 10 terabytes of data. These walking tours are an opportunity to look behind the scenes to:

Experience the size and composition of the IAEA Archives;
Interact with some of the treasures in our holdings and be inspired by the Agency's history;
View the Reading Room and an archival repository, and learn about challenges in preservation and access management; and Hear how the Department of Management oversees the IAEA Archives.

The tour can accommodate 15 participants. Meeting point : A04 Elevators. Click here to register

10:30 – 11:00 (F0146 – IAEA Lise Meitner Library & Online)
From metadata to full text: how INIS delivers nuclear knowledge worldwide
Olga Vakula – INIS

How do you access hard-to-find nuclear research from around the world? Discover how INIS connects users to nuclear knowledge, providing extensive metadata and helping locate full texts through international collaboration with Member States and partner libraries. Click here to register.

12:00 – 13:00 (F0146 - IAEA Lise Meitner Library)
Tour and Meet & Greet

Come along for a tour of the IAEA Lise Meitner Library and discover the space, the history and facts that might surprise you. The reading rooms and library are open to anyone in the VIC, join the tour to discover your next favourite place in the building!

The tour can accommodate 15 participants. Click here to register (for the tour only)

11:30 – 14:00 (A Building, Cafeteria)
Meet & Greet Information Professionals from IAEA & UNOV & CTBTO.

Get to know your librarians from the VBOs in the cafeteria and publishers from the IAEA on the ground floor of the A building. In addition to providing information on our services, there will also be an opportunity to view a few special items from our collections.

14:00 – 14:30 (F0146 – IAEA Lise Meitner Library)
Welcome Remarks.

World Book and Copyright Day is celebrated every year on April 23rd. Come hear about the meaning of this day for VBO libraries, archives, and publishing units. We will be joined by IAEA DDG-NE, M. M. Chudakov and DDG-MT, M. Doane and UNESCO representative Ms Klara Koštal, Head of Department: Diversity of Cultural Expressions.

14:30 – 15:15 (F0146 – IAEA Lise Meitner Library)
Talk: Future Needs Wisdom: a personal view on the future of research under the spell of AI.
Prof. Helga Nowotny will share her thoughts and insights on Artificial Intelligence, followed by a thought-provoking discussion on Women in STEM. A discussion moderated by Brain Bales (IAEA INIS) and Anastasia Lazykina, (IAEA Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship Programme). Click here to register

15:15 – 15:45 (F0146 – IAEA Lise Meitner Library)
Closing - World Book & Copyright Day.

After the talk with Prof. Helga Nowotny, there will be a small reception to celebrate and close the World Book and Copyright Day festivities. Please join us for some light refreshments.

For more information please contact us!, Click here to play the wordle of the day! and See the World Book Day EUREST menu on April 23rd 2026 here!

World Book and Copyright Day 2025; April 23rd.

FORUM: “Exploring the world: One page turn at a time.” World Book and Copyright Day 2025. Books have the power to transport us to new worlds, broaden our horizons, and promote open and inclusive societies. For this occasion let’s highlight the Copyright and Related Rights of authors. The UNESCO Regional offices invite students, teachers, and readers from around the world, as well as the whole book industry and library services, to testify and express their love for reading. Activities will include readings of books and plays; the distribution of bookmarks; the announcement of the winners of literary competitions. Follow the conversations with the hashtags: #reading, #WorldBookDay, #CopyrightDay,#WorldBookCapitalCity #23april, #WorldBookandCopyrightDay.

EVENTS: At UNESCO Headquarters; On april 23rd, to mark the World Book and Copyright Day 2025; A symposium will be hold. The UNESCO World Book Capital for 2025 is Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The designation was announced by the UNESCO Director-General, Audrey Azoulay. The year of celebrations will start on April 23rd, on World Book and Copyright Day 2025 with the opening of the World Book Capital. The city will host the Unesco "World Book Capital" label, awarded each year to a city that is committed to promoting books and reading in all its forms. UNESCO and the World Book Capital Advisory Committee commended Rio de Janeiro’s demonstration of the importance of its literary heritage alongside a clearly defined vision and action plan to promote literature, sustainable publishing and reading among young people tapping into digital technologies. This is the first time that a Portuguese-speaking city has been designated World Book Capital. In line with priorities expressed in the World Book Capital Charter, Rio de Janeiro conceives its project as having the ability to affect social change – through, for example, literacy, education and poverty eradication – and bring sustainable economic benefit linked to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Register to Participate!

ACTIVITIES: Join the community of readers for the World Book Day bookfaceChallenge! In such circumstances, we invite students, teachers, readers from around the world as well as the book industry and library services to testify and express their love for reading by participating to this challenge. Register to participate to the event.

WEBINARS: The right technology can remove barriers to knowledge. For example the Technology from Sage is a curated suite of library technologies that advance teaching, learning and research - from managing reading lists to discovering online resources and reference management. Request a demo!

Librarian Futures Part I: Reading and authoring

Give library patrons an easy and intuitive way to discover, read, annotate, write and share research with an award-winning online reference management tool. With intuitive and customizable features that enable collaboration, Sciwheel is where research comes together.


Librarian Futures Part II: The Knowledge Gap Between Librarians and Students.

Read the new report in our Librarian Futures series that shares research findings about contrasting librarian and student perspectives on the undergraduate workflow.


Librarian Futures Part III: The Librarian Skills Landscape.

Read the latest report in our Librarian Futures series which explores insights from over 2,000 academic library professionals on actionable strategies for skills and career development.

STATEMENTS: ‘‘After all, behind every book there is an entire chain of know-how and skills which has led to its creation. On this day, UNESCO invites you not only to celebrate reading and culture, but also to make a commitment to their support. ‘‘ Read the message of the UNESCO Director-General, on the occasion of World Book and Copyright Day 2025, April 23rd in French, Spanish, Arabic, Russian and Chinese.

PUBLICATION: UNESCO's World Book Policy and its Impacts. In order to promote the pleasure of books and reading, UNESCO is organizing a collection of books for the benefit of Libraries Without Borders (LWB), an NGO which helps to promotes access for vulnerable populations to education, culture and information. Learn more about the Books for All: a Programme of Action.

World Book and Copyright Day 2022; April 23rd.

FORUM: Storytelling is an incredibly effective tool when it comes to educating younger generations. Indeed, books are vital vehicles to access, transmit and promote education, science, culture, and information worldwide.

EVENTS: On World Book and Copyright Day, UNESCO calls on its partners to share the message that books are a force to address contemporary challenges, to understand political and economic realities, and to combat inequalities and misinformation.

Guadalajara is UNESCO World Book Capital 2022, together let's join the official ceremony.

Guadalajara (Mexico) was named World Book Capital for the year 2022 by the Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, on the recommendation of the World Book Capital Advisory Committee.

The city, already a UNESCO Creative City since 2017, was selected for its comprehensive plan for policies around the book to trigger social change, combat violence and build a culture of peace.

Guadalajara’s proposed programme focuses on three strategic axes: 

1. regaining public spaces through reading activities in parks and other accessible places; 
2. social bonding and cohesion especially though reading and writing workshops for children;
3.  strengthening of neighbourhood identity using intergenerational connections, story-telling and street poetry.

As a UNESCO Creative City of Media Arts Guadalajara has supported its local talents and advancing creative industries through initiatives that places media arts at the core of their programmes including in its world-famous International Book Fair. The city will further make use of its cultural assets such as libraries, reading rooms, bookstores, independent publishing houses, to improve violence-prevention policies. These resources will be leveraged to advance human rights, gender equality and the culture of peace among members of the public and harness the great potential of books to contribute to social transformation.

ACTIVITIES

Activities will include literary events in collaboration with Latin-American writers, an artistic project on the Tower of Babel, events linking theatre and music to literature and the use of local radio for poetry readings.

The year of celebrations will start on 23 April, 2022, on World Book and Copyright Day.

Cities designated as UNESCO World Book Capital undertake to promote books and reading and to organize activities over the year. As the twenty-second city to bear the title since 2001, Guadalajara follows Tbilisi (2021) Kuala Lumpur (2020). Past winners include Madrid (2001), Alexandria (2002), New Delhi (2003), Anvers (2004), Montreal (2005), Turin (2006), Bogota (2007), Amsterdam(2008), Beirut (2009), Ljubljana (2010), Buenos Aires (2011), Erevan (2012), Bangkok (2013), Port Harcourt (2014), Incheon (2015), Wroclaw (2016), Conakry (2017), Athens (2018), Sharjah, (2019).

The application of the city of Guadalajara was accepted by an Advisory Committee, comprising representatives of the International Publisher's Association (IPA), the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA), the International Authors Forum (IAF) and UNESCO.

World Book and Copyright Day 2014, 23 April.

Message from Ms Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, on the occasion of World Book and Copyright Day - See more at: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/events/prizes-and-celebrations/celebrations/international-days/world-book-and-copyright-day-2014/#sthash.4lXNDQeh.dpuf

World Book and Copyright Day is on April 23. It pays a worldwide tribute to books and authors, encouraging everyone, and in particular young people, to discover the pleasure of reading.

Join the Forum : World Book and Copyright Day, April 23rd

Message from Ms Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, on the occasion of World Book and Copyright Day - See more at: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/events/prizes-and-celebrations/celebrations/international-days/world-book-and-copyright-day-2014/#sthash.4lXNDQeh.dpuf

Message from Ms Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, on the occasion of World Book and Copyright Day - See more at: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/events/prizes-and-celebrations/celebrations/international-days/world-book-and-copyright-day-2014/#sthash.4lXNDQeh.dpu

World Book and Copyright Day, 23 April.

 

Message from UNESCO's Director-General on World Book and Copyright Day 2014.

The history of the written word is the history of humanity.
The power of books to advance individual fulfilment and to create social change is unequalled. Intimate and yet deeply social, books provide far-reaching forms of dialogue between individuals, within communities and across time.
As Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani schoolgirl who was shot by the Taliban for attending classes, said in her speech at the United Nations:
Let us pick up our books and our pens. They are our most powerful weapons.
On World Book and Copyright Day, UNESCO invites all women and men to rally around books and all those who write and produce books. This is a day to celebrate books as the embodiment of human creativity and the desire to share ideas and knowledge, to inspire understanding and tolerance.
Books are not immune from a world of change, embodied in the advent of digital formats and the transition to open licensing for knowledge-sharing. This means more uncertainty but also new opportunity -- including for innovative business models in the world of publishing. Change is raising sharp questions about the definition of the book and the meaning of authorship in the digital era. UNESCO is leading from the front in the new debates about the dematerialization of books and the rights of authors.
By championing copyright and open access, UNESCO stands up for creativity, diversity and equal access to knowledge. We work across the board – from the Creative Cities of Literature network to promoting literacy and mobile learning and advancing Open Access to scientific knowledge and educational resources. For instance, in partnership with Nokia and Worldreader, UNESCO is striving to harness mobile technology to support literacy. To this end, on 23 April, we will release two new publications -- Reading in the Mobile Era.
In the same spirit, Port Harcourt in Nigeria has been named as the 2014 World Book Capital, on account of the quality of its programme, in particular its focus on youth and the impact it will have on improving Nigeria’s culture of books, reading, writing and publishing to improve literacy rates. Taking effect on World Book and Copyright Day, this initiative is supported by UNESCO, along with the International Publishers Association, the International Booksellers Federation and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions.
In all of this, our goal is clear – to encourage authors and artists and to ensure that more women and men benefit from literacy and accessible formats, because books are our most powerful forces of poverty eradication and peace building.

                                                                                                                   Irina Bokova

Día Mundial del Libro y del Derecho de Autor, 23 de abril

Mensaje de la Sra. Irina Bokova, Directora General de la UNESCO, con motivo del Día Mundial del Libro y del Derecho de Autor, 23 de abril de 2014

La historia de la palabra escrita es la historia de la humanidad.
El poder de los libros para fomentar la realización personal y generar cambios sociales no tiene parangón. Íntimos y a la vez profundamente sociales, los libros abren amplios caminos de diálogo entre las personas, dentro de las comunidades y a través del tiempo.
Como dijo en su discurso en las Naciones Unidas Malala Yousafzai, la alumna pakistaní a la que dispararon los talibanes por asistir a clase:
«Tomemos nuestros libros y nuestros bolígrafos, que son nuestras armas más poderosas».
En el Día Mundial del Libro y del Derecho de Autor, la UNESCO invita a todas las mujeres y a todos los hombres a mostrar su apoyo al libro y a todos aquellos que escriben y producen libros. Este es un día para celebrar el libro como la materialización de la creatividad humana y del deseo de compartir ideas y conocimientos, de inspirar entendimiento y tolerancia.
El libro no es inmune a un mundo cambiante, caracterizado por la llegada de los formatos digitales y la transición hacia las licencias abiertas para el intercambio de conocimientos. Esto supone mayor incertidumbre, pero también nuevas oportunidades, en particular para los modelos empresariales innovadores en el mundo editorial. Este cambio está planteando profundos interrogantes sobre la definición del libro y el significado de la autoría en la era digital. La UNESCO ha asumido un liderazgo activo en los nuevos debates sobre la desmaterialización del libro y los derechos de los autores.
Al abogar por el derecho de autor y el libre acceso, la UNESCO defiende la creatividad, la diversidad y la igualdad de acceso al conocimiento. Trabajamos en todos los frentes, desde las Ciudades de la Literatura de la Red de Ciudades Creativas hasta la promoción de la alfabetización y el aprendizaje móvil, pasando por el fomento del libre acceso al conocimiento científico y a los recursos educativos. Por ejemplo, en colaboración con Nokia y Worldreader, la UNESCO se está esforzando por utilizar la tecnología móvil para promover la alfabetización. Con este fin, el 23 de abril lanzaremos una nueva publicación: Reading in the Mobile Era.
En ese mismo espíritu, Port Harcourt (Nigeria) ha sido nombrada Capital Mundial del Libro 2014 debido a la calidad de su programa, especialmente por centrarse en los jóvenes y por su contribución a la mejora de la cultura del libro, la lectura, la escritura y la edición en Nigeria con vistas a incrementar los índices de alfabetización. Esta iniciativa, que dará comienzo el Día Mundial del Libro y del Derecho de Autor, está respaldada por la UNESCO, la Unión Internacional de Editores, la Federación Internacional de Libreros y la Federación Internacional de Asociaciones de Bibliotecarios y Bibliotecas.
En todos los casos, nuestra finalidad está clara: alentar a los autores y artistas y velar por que la alfabetización y los formatos accesibles lleguen a más mujeres y hombres, porque los libros son nuestras herramientas más poderosas para erradicar la pobreza y construir la paz.

Irina Bokova

Journée mondiale du livre et du droit d'auteur, 23 Avril

Message de Mme Irina Bokova, Directrice générale de l’UNESCO, à l'occasion de la Journée mondiale du livre et du droit d'auteur

L’histoire du mot écrit se confond avec celle de l’humanité.

La capacité des livres de contribuer à l’épanouissement personnel et de déclencher des changements sociaux est sans égale. Fusionnant ce qui relève de l’intime et un ancrage social profond, les livres ouvrent des possibilités de dialogue très diversifiées entre les individus, au sein des communautés et entre les époques.

Comme l’a déclaré Malala Yousafzai, l’écolière pakistanaise blessée par balle par les Taliban pour s’être rendue en classe, à la tribune des Nations Unies :

Saisissons-nous de nos livres et de nos stylos, ce sont nos armes les plus puissantes.

En cette Journée mondiale du livre et du droit d’auteur, l’UNESCO invite toutes les femmes et tous les hommes à se rallier à la cause du livre et de tous ceux qui en écrivent et en produisent. Cette journée est l’occasion de célébrer ces livres dans lesquels s’expriment la créativité humaine et le désir d’échanger idées et connaissances, mais aussi celui de promouvoir la compréhension et la tolérance.

Le monde est en pleine évolution et les livres n’y font pas exception
– développement des supports numériques, transition vers le partage de connaissance en libre accès... C’est une source d’incertitude supplémentaire, mais aussi une nouvelle chance à saisir : l’heure est venue d’adopter des pratiques commerciales novatrices dans le monde de l’édition. Cette mutation remet profondément en cause la définition même du livre et pose la question du statut de l’auteur à l’ère du numérique. L’UNESCO est à la pointe des nouveaux débats sur la dématérialisation des livres et les droits des auteurs.

En défendant le droit d’auteur et le libre accès, l’UNESCO prend position pour la créativité, la diversité et l’égalité d’accès au savoir. Nous œuvrons à tous les niveaux – qu’il s’agisse du Réseau de villes créatives dans la catégorie Littérature, ou de la promotion de l’alphabétisation, de l’apprentissage nomade ou encore du libre accès aux connaissances scientifiques et aux ressources éducatives. À titre d’exemple, en partenariat avec Nokia et Worldreader, l’UNESCO s’emploie à mettre les technologies mobiles au service de l’alphabétisation. À cette fin, le 23 avril, nous publierons un ouvrage : Reading in the Mobile Era (La lecture à l’ère de la mobilité).

Dans le même esprit, Port Harcourt, au Nigéria, a été nommé Capitale mondiale du livre 2014, en raison de la qualité de son programme d’activités en la matière – en particulier l’accent qui y est mis sur la jeunesse – qui aura pour conséquence le développement de la culture du livre au Nigéria, et ce sous tous ses aspects (lecture, écriture et publications), avec pour objectif ultime l’accroissement du taux d’alphabétisation. Prenant effet en cette Journée mondiale du livre et du droit d’auteur, l’initiative en question est appuyée par l’UNESCO, ainsi que par l’Union internationale des éditeurs, la Fédération internationale des libraires et la Fédération internationale des associations de bibliothécaires et des bibliothèques.

À tous ces égards, l’objectif qui nous anime est clair : il s’agit d’encourager les auteurs et les artistes, et de faire en sorte que davantage de femmes et d’hommes tirent avantage de l’alphabétisation et des supports de lecture accessibles, car les livres sont les outils les plus puissants qui soient à notre disposition pour éliminer la pauvreté et consolider la paix.

Mme Irina Bokova, Directrice générale de l’UNESCO.

世界书籍与版权日, 4月23日

教科文组织总干事伊琳娜·博科娃致辞

2014年4月23日

文字的历史即是人类的历史。
　　图书在促进个人成长和社会变革方面的力量是无可比拟的。书籍既属于私密范畴又具有深刻的社会意义，为个体之间、社区内部和跨越时空的对话提供了影响深远的方式。
　　正如因上学而被塔利班枪击的巴基斯坦女学生马拉拉·尤素福扎伊在联合国发表的演讲中所说：
　　“让我们拿起书和笔。这是我们最有力的武器。”
　　在“世界图书和版权日”之际，教科文组织吁请所有人团结在图书和图书编写者和制造者周围。在这一天里，我们应该礼赞图书，礼赞体现着人类创造性和分享思想与知识之渴望的图书，从而弘扬理解与宽容精神。
　　世界的变化也影响着图书的变化，我们正经历着数字格式到来以及向知识共享开放许可的转型。这意味着更多的不确定性，但也意味着新的机遇--包括 出版业的创新经营模式。这些变化也带来了究竟如何定义图书、如何定义数字时代的作者身份等尖锐问题。教科文组织站在前沿，领导着有关图书非实体化和著作权 方面的新辩论。
　　教科文组织通过捍卫版权和开放许可来支持创造力、多样性和平等获取知识。我们的工作涉及方方面面，从文学创意城市网络到促进扫盲、移动学习并推 动科学知识和教育资源的开放获取。例如，教科文组织与诺基亚和致力于全球扫盲的非营利组织 Worldreader合作，利用移动技术为扫盲工作提供支持。为此，我们将在4月23日发布两份新的出版物--《移动时代的阅读》和《无纸阅读》。
　　本着同一精神，尼日利亚的哈科特港被指定为“2014年世界图书之都”，其入选原因是该城市的高质量计划，特别是这一计划对青年的重点关注和在 提高尼日利亚的图书、读写和出版文化以提高识字率方面的影响。该倡议于“世界图书和版权日”生效，由教科文组织和国际出版商协会、国际书商联盟和国际图书 馆协会联盟提供支持。
　　我们所有这些行动都有着明确的目标：鼓励并支持作家和艺术家的创作，确保更多人能够从识字和无障碍阅读中获益，因为图书是我们消除贫穷和建设和平的最有力的武器。

اليوم العالمي للكتاب وحقوق المؤلف - 23 نيسان/أبريل

"وهدفنا واضح في كل هذه الجهود، ألا وهو تشجيع المؤلفين والفنانين على ضمان انتفاع المزيد من النساء والرجال بالقرائية وبالأشكال التي يتاح الانتفاع بها بطريقة ميسرة، لأن الكتب تمثل أقوى ما لدينا من أدوات للقضاء على الفقر وبناء السلام. "

من رسالة السيدة إيرينا بوكوفا، المديرة العامة لليونسكو
بمناسبة اليوم العالمي للكتاب وحقوق المؤلف لعام 2014

Всемирный день книги и авторского права, 23 апреля

 

Послания Генерального директора ЮНЕСКО. Всемирный день книги и авторского права, 23 апреля

«Во всех этих начинаниях мы преследуем ясную цель — поощрение авторов и творческих работников, а также создание условий, которые позволят большему числу женщин и мужчин воспользоваться благами грамотности и доступными форматами, поскольку книги являются нашим самым мощным инструментом искоренения нищеты и укрепления мира».

                                                      Из послания Генерального директора ЮНЕСКО

Reading in the Mobile Era : A study of mobile reading in Developing countries - UNESCO / Nokia.

Book shortages continue to represent a significant obstacle to literacy, worldwide. Common in areas where books are scarce, inexpensive mobile phones can bring reading material to all. Let's ensure technology makes illiteracy a relic of the past.

Interview of Mark West about the Report "Reading in the Mobile Era" UNESCO.