The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) announced Thursday that Ljubljana has been chosen as the 2010 World Book Capital as part of the agency’s ongoing efforts to promote literature and reading.
The Slovenian capital was picked “for the quality of its application, as well as for its diverse and complete programme, widely and enthusiastically supported by all players in the book industry (publishers, bookstores and libraries).
The selection committee made the announcement after a meeting Tuesday at UNESCO headquarters in Paris.
The committee brings together representatives of UNESCO and some of the main professional associations in the book industry.
The International Publishers Association, the International Booksellers Federation and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions are participating in the event.
Koïchiro Matsuura, the UNESCO Director-General, said in a statement that he was delighted “to see this magnificent city acknowledged for its collective commitment to promote books and reading in a context of freedom of expression and cultural openness.”
Ljubljana becomes the tenth city to be designated as World Book Capital, following Madrid, Alexandria, New Delhi, Antwerp, Montreal, Turin, Bogotá, Amsterdam and Beirut.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
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