Brazil launches national reading plan 2026

Brazil’s Culture Ministry and Education Ministry signed a new National Book and Reading Plan on April 23, setting policy for books, reading and libraries through 2036. (gov.br) (agenciagov.ebc.com.br) President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva attended the Brasília ceremony with Culture Minister Margareth Menezes and Education Minister Leonardo Barchini at the Centro Internacional de Convenções do Brasil. (agenciagov.ebc.com.br) (publishnews.com.br) The new cycle aims to raise the share of readers in Brazil to 55% by 2035 from 47%, with measures focused on lowering book prices and expanding bookstores in inland cities. (agenciagov.ebc.com.br) Officials describe the plan as a 10-year framework for books, literature, writing and libraries, not a single spending package or one-off literacy campaign. (gov.br 1) (gov.br 2) The launch closes a drafting process that started with social-participation events and moved into a national public consultation opened on July 7, 2025 and closed on August 8, 2025. (gov.br 1) (gov.br 2) That consultation received 1,596 contributions, and the government said the text was shaped with input from civil society, librarians, booksellers, publishers, writers and reading advocates. (gov.br) The plan also sits inside Brazil’s National Reading and Writing Policy, the legal framework cited by the ministries as the basis for setting 10-year goals and governance. (gov.br 1) (gov.br 2) Alongside the launch, the Culture Ministry put up a dedicated PNLL page with legislation, program guides, governance information and a data panel meant to track investments and implementation. (agenciagov.ebc.com.br) (gov.br) Brazil first created the federal book-and-reading plan in 2006, and the new ordinance renews that policy for another decade with updated targets and a digital monitoring structure. (agenciagov.ebc.com.br) (agenciagov.ebc.com.br)