UNESCO's 'Education for All Week' and 'World Book and Copyright Day'
19 - 25 April is UNESCO's Education for All (EFA) Week 2004. This week, in many corners of the world, press conferences, workshops and marches of all sorts launch EFA Week 2004 in over 100 countries. The principal activity - the national lobby - takes place on 20 April, when children will be lobbying their governments to do more so that all children get an education.
For more information visit UNESCO's EFA Week page.
April 23 is UNESCO's World Book and Copyright Day.
By celebrating this Day throughout the world, UNESCO seeks to promote reading, publishing and the protection of intellectual property through copyright.
23 April is a symbolic date for world literature for on this date and in the same year of 1616, Cervantes, Shakespeare and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega all died. It is also the date of birth or death of other prominent authors such as Maurice Druon, K.Laxness, Vladimir Nabokov, Josep Pla and Manuel Mejía Vallejo. The idea for this celebration originated in Catalonia where on 23 April, Saint George's Day, a rose is traditionally given as a gift for each book sold.
It was a natural choice for UNESCO's General Conference to pay a world-wide tribute to books and authors on this date, encouraging everyone, and in particular young people, to discover the pleasure of reading and gain a renewed respect for the irreplaceable contributions of those who have furthered the social and cultural progress of humanity.
For more information visit UNESCO's World Book and Copyright Day page.