UNESCO recognized Rio de Janeiro’s emphasis on literary heritage, as well as its promotion of sustainable publishing and youth literacy in the face of digitization.
Beginning on 23 April 2025, Rio de Janeiro’s project aims to “affect social change – through, for example, literacy, education and poverty eradication.”
In the announcement made on 6 October 2023, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay stated: “Books are vital vehicles to access, transmit and promote education, science, culture and information worldwide. Thanks to books, we keep ourselves informed, entertained and are able to better understand our world. This is why, each year UNESCO designates a World Book Capital. After Accra in 2023, and Strasbourg in 2024, I am pleased to announce the designation of Rio de Janeiro as World Book Capital for 2025.”
The International Publishers Association (IPA) joins UNESCO, the European and International Booksellers Federation (EIBF), the International Authors Forum (IAF), and the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) as members of the UNESCO World Book Capital Advisory Committee.
Read UNESCO’s official press release here.