Explainer / World Book and Copyright Day

World Book and Copyright Day is a celebration to promote the enjoyment of books and reading. Each year, on April 23, celebrations take place all over the world to recognise the scope of books. 

April 23 is a symbolic date in world literature. It is the date on which several prominent authors — William Shakespeare, Miguel de Cervantes and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega — died. 

This date was a natural choice for UNESCO’s General Conference, held in Paris in 1995, to pay a worldwide tribute to books and authors on this date, encouraging everyone to access books.

With the active involvement of all stakeholders, authors, publishers, teachers, librarians, public and private institutions, humanitarian NGOs and the mass media, and all those who feel motivated to work together in this world celebration of books and authors, World Book and Copyright Day has become a platform to rally together millions of people all around the world.

World Book Capital for 2021

Each year, UNESCO and the international organisations representing the three major sectors of the book industry — publishers, booksellers and libraries —  select the World Book Capital for a one-year period.

Audrey Azoulay, the Director-General of UNESCO, named Tbilisi (capital of Georgia) World Book Capital for the year 2021, based on the recommendation of the World Book Capital Advisory Committee.

The programme focuses on the use of modern technologies as powerful tools for the promotion of reading among young people.

The city’s principal objective is to popularize reading and increase accessibility to books throughout society.

The programme comprises several important, large-scale and sustainable activities involving libraries and a book festival for children, a state-of-the-art digital project for transforming books into games, and the rebuilding of the first Georgian publishing house.

Cities designated as UNESCO World Book Capital undertake to promote books and reading and to organise activities over the year. 

As the twenty-first city to bear the title since 2001, Tbilisi follows Kuala Lumpur (2020) and Sharjah (2019). 

Past winners include Madrid (2001), Alexandria (2002), New Delhi (2003), Anvers (2004), Montreal (2005), Turin (2006), Bogota (2007), Amsterdam(2008), Beirut (2009), Ljubljana (2010), Buenos Aires (2011), Erevan (2012), Bangkok (2013), Port Harcourt (2014), Incheon (2015), Wroclaw (2016), Conakry (2017) and Athens (2018).

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