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On World Book day 2020, The United Nations in Indonesia launched its SDG Book Club, aiming to get Indonesian children to learn about sustainable development and to empower them through stories. The Book Club presents reading tips and a reading list with suggested reading in Indonesian for different age groups covering all of the SDGs.
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The Association of Canadian Publishers (ACP) released the results of its 2018 survey measuring diversity in the English-language Canadian book publishing industry – the first survey of its kind in the country. Key findings of the survey were that people with indigenous and non-white backgrounds are underrepresented in the industry, with 82 percent of the respondents having identified as white. The survey also included data on age, gender identity, sexual orientation and disability.
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In 2016, the Norwegian Publishers Association began to work on the topic “The green book trade.” Their goal has been to make it easier for publishers to choose their suppliers based on an internationally recognised set of criteria and guidelines. They developped a guide to the sustainable procurement of paper, an introduction on to procurement policies, a list of tools and measures to prevent the use of controversially sourced paper, and a system for rating individual books and paper quality.
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The Bookstart Baby programme, run by the UK’s largest children’s reading charity BookTrust, will provide book packs to families with babies born in 2021 to support their early learning and development and encourage a positive home learning environment. Bookstart Baby packs aim to promote a love of reading in children from as young an age as possible, and every child aged 0-12 months is eligible for a free pack of books and resources.
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The UNESCO Global Education Coalition is a platform for collaboration and exchange to protect the right to education during the unprecedented disruption brought by the Covid-19 pandemic. It aims to support countries in scaling up their best distance learning practices and reaching children and you who are most at risk. Publishers are among the coalition members and will be key in the effort to strengthen and enrich the content brought to children who are learning away from school.
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This jointly organised technical seminar on National Book and Reading Policies (NBRP) in Africa was intended to support quality education through sustained and improved literacy for the benefit of African people and national development. The seminar took place in December 2019 in Kigali, Rwanda. The six participating anglophone countries were Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda and Uganda. Participants were guided through the process of developing national book and reading policies.
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The Springer Nature China New Development Awards were announced in 2019. This award recognises the contribution of Chinese research to international sustainable development, which is significant as China has one of the world’s fastest growing volume of scientific and scholarly research globally. 10 Chinese authors received the award in recognition for their research into areas such as climate change, economic development, eco-development and green intelligent transportation systems.
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The Parliamentary Book Club is an initiative whereby Australians get to nominate a book they think their leaders must read. Launched in 2019, it invites all parliamentarians to read the selected book, and then participate in a meeting at Parliament House to join the author in a discussion of the book’s main themes. The intention is that the books will lay the foundation for discussion around aspects of Australian life, which could inform and inspire new ways of thinking.
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In a democracy, the rights of authors and publishers to create and distribute their works in complete freedom is critical. The IPA’s Freedom to Publish Committee challenges violations and drives dialogue around issues related to the freedom to publish. The IPA also awards the prestigious Prix Voltaire to recognise exemplary courage in upholding the freedom to publish. Nominees have usually published controversial works amid pressure, threats, intimidation and harassment.
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Publishers mainly use plastic for shrink wrapping to protect books, magazines and journals during distribution and selling. However, some publishers have taken measures to reduce the use of plastic in their packaging. Springer Nature have in 2019 stopped wrapping all but the largest research books (where damage is more likely if unwrapped), reducing the number of units wrapped by 1.2 million and replaced two million plastic wallets, used for CDs, with paper alternatives.
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The book Plastic. Past, Present and Future, written by Eun-Ju Kim, illustrated by Ji-won Lee, was originally published by Woongijn Thinkbig. The English translation was published in June 2019 by Scribe UK. This book takes the reader on a journey through the life cycle of plastic, from production to waste. It explains how plastic survives, and why it is harmful to our environment.
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Author Lauren St. John also launched the website Authors4Oceans, containing tips to how to reduce plastic waste. The authors and illustrators who are part of the initiative are passionate about the natural world and preserving it for future generations. They are committed to ridding their lives and communities of plastic and unsustainable practices wherever possible, and inspiring young (and old) readers to do the same.
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