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World Book and Copyright Day is a celebration to promote the enjoyment of books and reading. Each year, on 23 April, celebrations take place all over the world to recognize the scope of books - a link between the past and the future, a bridge between generations and across cultures.

23 April 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 all died. This date was a natural choice for UNESCO's General Conference, held in Paris in 1995, to pay a world-wide tribute to books and authors on this date, encouraging everyone to access books.

By championing books and copyright, UNESCO stands up for creativity, diversity and equal access to knowledge, with the work across the board ¨C from the Creative Cities of Literature network to promoting literacy and mobile learning and advancing Open Access to scientific knowledge and educational resources. 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.

On this occasion, UNESCO and the international organizations representing the three major sectors of the book industry - publishers, booksellers and libraries, select the World Book Capital for a year to maintain, through its own initiatives, the impetus of the Day¡¯s celebrations.

On the occasion of 2024 World Book and Copyright Day, UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia supported two awareness-raising campaigns, together with children's book publisher Everafter and the English edition of Global Times, to invite the public to pay attention to the beauty of languages, words and books, to promote literacy, to protect linguistic diversity, and to cultivate a love of reading among all people. In particular, we advocate youth reading, encouraging them to develop a spirit of inquiry, a sense of global citizenship and responsibility, and an awareness of language preservation and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through extensive and profound reading. Look forward, we anticipate a future in which everyone benefits from the transformative power of reading.

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In light of the threat of language endangerment, and in order to draw attention to the value of languages, the United Nations has declared the period 2022-2032 as the International Decade of Indigenous Languages. UNESCO, as the leading UN agency for education, the sciences, culture and communication and information, is co-leading the Decade by drawing the world's attention to the serious loss of indigenous languages and the urgent need to preserve, revitalize and promote them through the elaboration of a plan of action for the Decade. One such action is to raise awareness among younger generations of the richness of the languages they have inherited and the need to mobilize others to preserve them.

With this in mind, 91Â鶹¹ú²ú¾«Æ·×ÔÅÄ partnered with outstanding publishers from around the globe to publish a book that inspires reflection on the power and value of linguistic diversity, a picture book that inspires thought and guides change - What Makes Us Human. We invite readers around the world, young and old, to enjoy and share this picture book as a valuable testimony to our diverse and common humanity. Our efforts to honor and protect languages today will benefit future generations tomorrow.

In China, UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia, in cooperation with the publisher Everafter, has published the Chinese version of What Makes Us Human, an attempt to popularize the concept of language protection among Chinese children and adolescents. On April 23rd, the World Book and Copyright Day, we invite children and adults to read this book, to learn about linguistic and cultural diversity, and to work together to protect our common language and culture.

Reading is for all, and books are for all. On the occasion of the 29th World Book Day, the second Global Times "My Reading Life" Book-sharing Event with the theme of "Spring Reading" and the 15th anniversary of the Global Times English edition were held on April 20 in Beijing. Participants, including teachers and students from academia, publishing, arts and culture, as well as Beijing's high schools, shared their insights on reading at the event.

Prof. Shahbaz Khan, Director of UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia, delivered a video message. At the event, Ms. Zeng Qingyi, National Programme Officer of the Communication and Information Sector of the Office, participated in the release of the Global Times 2024 ¡°10 Reading Initiatives¡±. The 10 initiatives are: Focused Reading, Everyday Reading, In-Depth Reading, Classical Reading, Theme-based Reading, Crossover Reading, Green Reading, Parent-Child Reading, Sharing Reading, and Practical Reading.