Brazil launches 2026–2035 national reading plan

Brazil’s Culture and Education ministries signed a new National Book and Reading Plan on April 23, setting federal reading policy through 2036. (gov.br) The interministerial ordinance was signed in Brasília at the Centro Internacional de Convenções do Brasil, with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Culture Minister Margareth Menezes, and Education Minister Leonardo Barchini at the event. (gov.br) (publishnews.com.br) Brazil says the plan aims to raise the share of readers to 55% of the population by 2035, up from 47% now. Officials also tied the plan to lower book costs and more bookstores in underserved regions. (publishingperspectives.com) (publishnews.com.br) The plan covers books, reading, literature, writing, and libraries, and the government describes it as a 10-year guide for public policy. Its pillars include democratizing access, training reading mediators, strengthening the book economy, and giving writing a larger place in policy. (publishingperspectives.com) (agenciagov.ebc.com.br) The timing was deliberate. Brazil launched the plan on World Book Day, the same date that the country’s first Noite das Livrarias, or Bookstore Night, drew more than 91 bookstores in about 31 cities. (publishingperspectives.com) In São Paulo alone, about half of the participating stores hosted 52 events, from readings to concerts, as booksellers tried to turn shops into gathering places rather than only retail counters. (publishingperspectives.com) The new plan also formalizes work that had been under discussion for months. In July 2025, the two ministries opened a public consultation on a draft PNLL, then described as a 2025–2035 cycle. (agenciagov.ebc.com.br) Officials have framed the policy as a reboot of a federal reading strategy first launched in 2006. PublishNews reported the replacement arrives after the original plan’s 10-year validity lapsed, leaving the update years late. (gov.br) (publishnews.com.br) The ministries are tying the plan to existing programs, including the National System of Public Libraries and federal book purchases for public and community libraries. In 2025, the government said 4,000 libraries would receive 4.8 million books annually through a R$50 million program. (agenciagov.ebc.com.br) (gov.br) For now, the headline is simple: Brazil has put a new federal reading plan back on the books, and it wants bookstores, libraries, and schools pulling in the same direction through 2036. (gov.br) (publishingperspectives.com)