The International Publishers Association (IPA) marked the Marrakesh Treaty’s tenth anniversary by highlighting the progress made in making books accessible to people with visual and print disabilities. The WIPO Accessible Books Consortium (ABC), a public‑private partnership, has expanded its reach, offering 1.2 million titles in accessible formats—including braille, audio, DAISY, EPUB, large print and electronic text—across 80 languages through 150 participating authorized entities, with over 50 % located in developing countries.
Michele Woods, Director of WIPO’s Copyright Law Division, praised the treaty’s impact, noting that the number of countries covered has grown to more than 130 since its adoption. She added that the next decade will build on the achievements already reached.
During the Marrakesh Treaty Assembly, World Blind Union President Santosh Kumar Rungta emphasized that the treaty’s success should be measured by lives transformed rather than ratifications. He called for a continued commitment to ending the global book famine by ensuring timely access to books in the format of choice for blind, deaf‑blind, and other print‑disabled individuals.