Negotiators Set to Finalize New Treaty Improving Access to Books for Visually Impaired Persons
10-Jun-2013 GENEVA - Hundreds of negotiators representing countries around the world will gather later this month to work on finalizing a new international treaty to ease access to books for blind, visually impaired, and other print disabled people, according to WIPO.
Between June 18-28, 2013, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) will convene the Diplomatic Conference to Conclude a Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works by Visually Impaired Persons and Persons with Print Disabilities, which will be hosted by the Kingdom of Morocco at the Palais des Congres in Marrakesh.
The meeting which will draw representatives from WIPO’s 186-nation membership, will be opened by WIPO Director General Francis Gurry and high ranking Moroccan Government and Marrakesh city officials. Morocco’s Minister of Communications and Government Spokesperson Mustapha Khalfi will preside over the conference.
The Diplomatic Conference is expected to be the culmination of years of discussions on bringing more books in accessible versions such as Braille, large print and digitized audio formats to the blind, visually impaired, and other print disabled people, the majority of whom live in lower-income countries. The beneficiaries will have better access to novels, textbooks and other material that they can use for education and enjoyment.