WIPO Director General Praises "Significant Progress" of Accessible Books Consortium

4 octobre 2016

During his opening address to the Assemblies of WIPO Member States, Director General Francis Gurry noted the "significant progress" made by the Accessible Books Consortium (ABC).

Director General Francis Gurry speaking at the opening of the WIPO Assemblies 2016
Director General Francis Gurry speaking at the opening of the WIPO Assemblies 2016 (Photo: WIPO)

We have also made significant progress with the Accessible Books Consortium (ABC), a partnership of all relevant stakeholders that supports practically the aims of the Marrakesh Treaty through the exchange of books in accessible formats, capacity building and the promotion of accessible publishing. ABC has so far facilitated the loans of accessible books to 100,000 visually impaired people through its 19 participating libraries in 16 countries. It currently contains 319,000 titles in more than 76 languages. Participating libraries saved USD 11 million in production costs (for a book read aloud by a person) by being able to download 5,500 electronic books into their collections.

WIPO Director General, Francis Gurry

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