World Book Day Push

World Book and Copyright Day on April 23 pushed libraries back into the center of the literacy debate, as UNESCO and the United Nations used the observance to spotlight reading access and cultural preservation. (un.org) The United Nations lists World Book and Copyright Day as an annual April 23 observance led by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO, to promote awareness and action around books and reading. (un.org) UNESCO ties that annual campaign to its World Book Capital program, which since 2001 has named one city each year to run book and reading initiatives tied to literacy, lifelong learning, copyright protection and freedom of expression. (unesco.org) For 2026, UNESCO designated Rabat, Morocco, as World Book Capital, with the year of activities beginning on April 23, 2026, and centered on wider access to books, support for the local publishing industry and a citywide literacy push. (unesco.org) UNESCO said Rabat was chosen in part for work aimed at women, youth and underserved communities, and said the city has 54 publishing houses and hosts Africa’s third-largest international book and publishing fair. (unesco.org) Libraries sit inside that campaign through the advisory group behind the World Book Capital program, which includes the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions alongside publishers, booksellers and authors’ groups. (unesco.org) The access argument lands against stubborn literacy gaps. UNESCO said at least 739 million youth and adults worldwide still lacked basic literacy skills in 2024, while 4 in 10 children were not reaching minimum reading proficiency. (unesco.org) The pressure is even sharper in poorer countries. The World Bank said learning poverty means a child cannot read and understand a short, age-appropriate text by age 10, and reported that more than half of children in low- and middle-income countries fall into that category. (worldbank.org) Library groups have been arguing that their role now goes beyond lending shelves of books. The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions said in its 2024 Trend Report that libraries are also being pushed to help communities navigate digital skills, trust in information and unequal access to knowledge. (ifla.org) That is why April 23 keeps drawing official campaigns and public reaction at the same time: UNESCO uses the date to turn books into a yearlong policy agenda, and libraries end up as the local institutions expected to make that agenda real. (unesco.org)