World Book and Copyright Day

Join us as we explore the intersection between artificial intelligence and publishing, highlighting the essential role of authors and the risks to literary creation.

AI & Publishing: Between Futuristic Promises and Current Challenges.  

Tuesday April 23, 2024, World Book and Copyright Day. 

Participe to the Panel discussion!

AI & Publishing: Between Futuristic Promises and Current Challenges.  

Tuesday April 23, 2024, World Book and Copyright Day. 

AI & Publishing: Between Futuristic Promises and Current Challenges.  

Tuesday April 23, 2024, World Book and Copyright Day. 

Participe to the Panel discussion!

AI & Publishing: Between Futuristic Promises and Current Challenges.  

Tuesday April 23, 2024, World Book and Copyright Day. 

Participe to the Panel discussion!

AI & Publishing: Between Futuristic Promises and Current Challenges.  

Tuesday April 23, 2024, World Book and Copyright Day. 

Participe to the Panel discussion!

AI & Publishing: Between Futuristic Promises and Current Challenges.  

Tuesday April 23, 2024, World Book and Copyright Day. 

Participe to the Panel discussion!

For books to be able to unleash their full potential, it is essential that they reflect the linguistic diversity of our world.

 With the active involvement of all stakeholders: authors, publishers, teachers, librarians, public and private institutions, humanitarian NGOs and the mass media, and all those who feel motivated to work together in this world celebration of books and authors, World Book and Copyright Day has become a platform to rally together millions of people all around the world.

Books are invitations to travel and to encountering others: with each new page turned, another world appears before our eyes. On World Book and Copyright Day 2024, we wish to celebrate the power and beauty of books.Books, in all their forms, allow us to learn and to keep ourselves informed. They also entertain us and help us to understand the world, while offering a window into otherness.For books to be able to unleash their full potential, it is essential that they reflect the linguistic diversity of our world. However, this is far from being the case today; the majority of works are published in just a handful of languages, and digital technology raises the issue of linguistic homogenization. Yet every written language brings with it a particular worldview, with its symbols and its values. That is why, as part of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages (IDIL), launched in 2022, UNESCO is supporting the publication of books in both Indigenousand regional languages. Since 2023, we have been working with publishing houses around the world to publish What Makes Us Human, by Victor D.O. Santos and Anna Forlati – an illustrated children’s book which celebrates linguistic and cultural richness - in 14 languages, including Mapuche, Galician and Marathi. UNESCO also supports the book industry in Africa, particularly the sector devoted to books for young people. To help recount the history of slavery and discuss its reverberations in today’s world, in 2022 we launched the “Bintou & Issa” series in partnership with publishing house Langages du Sud. The goal of the series is to make children aware of the subject from an early age. Also in partnership with Langages du Sud, and on the occasion of the International Publishing and Book Fair in Rabat in May 2024, we will be launching the first volume of the Les Balades de Nour series. The bookinvites young Moroccans to learn about their UNESCO-listed cultural heritage from a different perspective. Finally, UNESCO supports the publishing sector and the power of reading through its network of World Book Capitals, designed to reinforce literacy education and promote the protection of copyright and freedom of expression. Strasbourg, France, has been designated the World Book Capital of 2024. The objective is to make books the preferred medium for both communicating the environmental concerns of our time and sharing the associated scientific knowledge. Finally, we are committed to supporting the fair remuneration of all those involved in the book industry, beginning with the authors. 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.

Audrey Azoulay; UNESCO Director-General.

2024 is an exceptional year for Strasbourg. The city has just received the Unesco "World Book Capital" label, awarded each year to a city that is committed to promoting books and reading in all its forms. This is the first time that a French city has earned it. Over the course of an entire year starting on 23 avril, Strasbourg will pay tribute to books and reading through a wide range of events and activities under the title "Lire notre monde" (Reading our World).

Strasbourg, world book capital from 04/23/2024 to 04/22/2025

WORLD BOOK CAPITAL CITY - Public lecture I

WORLD BOOK CAPITAL CITY - Public lecture Ii

WHY READING IS MORE IMPORTANT NOW THAN EVER!

Through reading and the celebration of  World Book and Copyright Day, 23 April, we can open ourselves to others despite distance, and we can travel thanks to imagination.

During the last year when most countries have seen periods of confinement and people have had to limit their time spent outside, books have proved to be powerful tools to combat isolation, reinforce ties between people, expand our horizons, while stimulating our minds and creativity. In some countries the number of books read has doubled.

2021’s content includes all of our brilliant £1 book authors and illustrators, with lots of exciting challenges and activities to make reading even more fun and interactive. Why not go on a wild adventure with Katherine Rundell, or hear Joseph Coelho and Fiona Lumbers share ideas on what can be on your World Book Day to-do list? Get all sorts of ideas about interactive storytelling from Tom Fletcher, and learn more about writing non-fiction with Jess French.

Brilliant books to enjoy this Spring celebrating colour, light and life