On World Book Day, UN hails reading and writing as pillars of
sustainable societies
UN News
Centre: 4.23.2015
As global symbols of social progress, books have
always been targets for those who reject freedom and tolerance, the United
Nations agency mandated with promoting education said today on World Book and
Copyright Day, calling the occasion an opportunity to recognize the power of
books to change lives for the better.
“In recent months, we have seen attacks on
children at school and the public burning of books,” Irina Bokova,
Director-General of UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), said today.
“In this context, our duty is clear – we must
redouble efforts to promote the book, the pen, the computer, along with all
forms of reading and writing, in order to fight illiteracy and poverty, to
build sustainable societies, to strengthen the foundations of peace,” she
added.
Literacy is the door to knowledge, essential to
individual self-esteem and empowerment. Books, in all forms, play an essential
role here.
World
Book and Copyright Day – marked around the world on 23 April – was
proclaimed by UNESCO in 1995 and is observed by millions of people in over 100
countries by schools, public organizations and private businesses.
With 175 million adolescents in the world – mostly
girls and young women – unable to read a single sentence, UNESCO said it is
committed to leading the fight against illiteracy, and for it to be included as
a crucial ingredient of the sustainable development goals (SDGs).
“Literacy is the door to knowledge, essential to
individual self-esteem and empowerment. Books, in all forms, play an essential
role here,” Ms. Bokova stated.
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The Day – 23 April – is a symbolic date for world
literature. It is on this date in 1616 that Cervantes, Shakespeare and Inca
Garcilaso de la Vega all died. It is also the date of birth or death of other
prominent authors, such as Maurice Druon, Vladimir Nabokov and Manuel Mejía
Vallejo. READ
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