Rabat named World Book Capital

Rabat will begin its year as UNESCO’s World Book Capital on April 23, opening a citywide reading program in Morocco’s capital. (unesco.org) UNESCO named Rabat the 2026 World Book Capital in October 2024, citing the city’s literary development plans, reading programs for women and young people, and anti-illiteracy work. The year of events is tied to World Book and Copyright Day, which falls on April 23. (unesco.org) The launch will be followed by the 31st International Publishing and Book Fair at OLM Souissi in Rabat, scheduled for April 30 to May 10, 2026, according to the International Publishers Association. France is this year’s guest of honor, and the fair is built around the figure of Ibn Battuta. (internationalpublishers.org) Morocco’s Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication is using the UNESCO designation to spread events beyond libraries and bookstores. Reporting on the ministry’s plan says the program includes 342 activities across 12 themes, with events aimed at hospitals, reform centers, orphanages, public squares and public transportation. (barlamantoday.com) UNESCO’s World Book Capital is a one-year designation for cities that commit to promoting books and reading across age groups and borders. Rabat is the 26th city to receive the title since the program began in 2001, following Rio de Janeiro in 2025. (unesco.org) UNESCO said Rabat’s selection also reflected the scale of its local book economy. The agency counted 54 publishing houses in the city and described Rabat’s international book fair as the third-largest such event in Africa. (unesco.org) Organizers are framing the fair as both a public festival and an industry gathering. Hespress, citing a ministry press conference on April 14, reported that books from 61 countries will be represented and that the event will bring together 565 Moroccan speakers and 155 foreign participants. (en.hespress.com) The Ibn Battuta program is set to include seminars on travel literature, a dedicated pavilion, rare manuscripts, maps tracing his route from Morocco to China, documentary screenings and an interactive platform for visitors. France’s participation will also extend beyond Rabat through the French cultural network in 12 Moroccan cities, according to the same press conference. (en.hespress.com) By late April, Rabat is set to move from honorary title to yearlong test: whether a UNESCO label can turn reading into a visible part of daily life across the city. (unesco.org)