News
UNESCO San Jose launches project to formulate national book policies and promotion of reading in El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua
UNESCO, with financial support from the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), within the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, launches a project that seeks to support the development of policies and participatory measures of the book and promotion of reading in El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua.
The general objective of the initiative is to create a solid base and an ideal environment for the development of the national book industries and the promotion of reading. This idea will provide technical and specialized knowledge for policy development. Also, it will help the institutional, human, and professional capacities in these areas.
The project began on Friday, February 3, 2023 through a technical meeting that UNESCO convened virtually with the participation of the implementation teams of the three beneficiary countries together with the .
To achieve this project, the initiative relies on the technical assistance of CERLALC (category two center under the auspices of UNESCO) who has the experience in providing assistance to Ibero-American countries in the formulation of regulations on the book, reading and libraries.
The project also contemplates peer learning, through the exchange of experiences and good practices between the three beneficiary countries and even other countries in the region, for which it will have the support of the (CECC/SICA).
This project is relevant because the promotion of reading, the encouragement of the book industry and the management of libraries are priorities by the Council of Ministers of Culture of the CECC/SICA.
Creative economies
The UNESCO , known as the 2005 Convention, is a tool that supports the promotion of cultural and creative industries and the emergence of dynamic cultural ecosystems.
The book industry is one of the most prominent cultural industries. Books are essential tools for building democratic and resilient societies, as they encourage critical thinking, the construction of ideas, and understanding.
However, in Central America, the book sector faces many challenges, including copyright infringements, the need to develop digital sales and distribution channels, and high prices that can make it difficult to access local literature.
UNESCO works to promote the emergence of a creative economy based on culture, knowledge, tradition and innovation, in order to enhance the economic and social contributions of culture to the Sustainable Development Agenda (SDGs).
