Marrakesh: Ten Years of Implementation
In the ten years since the Marrakesh Treaty came into force, we have seen notable progress in how people with print disabilities access information.
Readers can now discover, obtain and read accessible books more easily, with a wide selection of titles to choose from. When a book is unavailable locally, their library has a greater chance of finding an accessible copy in a library overseas and requesting it on their behalf. This reduces production efforts, saving time and resources.
But, we don’t have a comprehensive solution. Not all books or regions are covered, but we have made significant progress towards enabling readers to enjoy the books they want to read independently, irrespective of their preferred format or print disability.
Growth in Participation
The early momentum of ratification was remarkable, and countries are still coming on board. Out of 194 member states of WIPO, 132 countries have now ratified the treaty. That said, there are still gaps, notably in Africa and the Middle East.
The growth of the system is also reflected in the number of Authorized Entities, which are “legally recognized organization permitted to produce, distribute, import, and export accessible-format books for print-disabled individuals”. 156 Authorized Entities are now able to produce and disseminate accessible titles, exchanging them across borders. More than half of these are from developing or least developed countries.
From Ratification to Implementation
Ratification of the treaty is the first step towards providing access to information for persons with print disabilities. It signifies a formal commitment to be bound by the terms of treaty.
Between ratification and implementation many steps need to take place; updating national legislation, identifying Authorized Entities that will be permitted to produce and disseminate accessible content, and the necessary mechanism for distributing them both nationally and across borders.
Only countries which have both ratified and implemented the treaty, transposing it into national law, are able to make full use of the Treaty. This allows not only the exchange of accessible resources between Authorized Entities, but also the ability to access and participate in the ABC catalogue.
Exchanging Accessible Books
The ABC Global Book Service plays an important role in providing this international ecosystem to facilitate the global exchange of accessible formats. Currently ABC holds 1.2 million titles in accessible formats available across 80 languages.
At the time of publication 1.3 million accessible titles have been exchanged through the ABC ecosystem.
Basile Mignonneau, from AVH, DAISY France shared:
Readers now have more ways to find and obtain accessible books beyond the collection produced in their own country. AVH offers access to international resources through its participation in ABC, alongside its national library services. Readers registered for the ABC beneficiary service can search for books themselves and download available titles directly. The search filters include language, format and type of narration, helping readers identify an edition that suits them.
AVH participated in the launch of this direct-access service in France in April 2021. This gives readers greater autonomy than a process relying entirely on requests handled between libraries. Personal support remains necessary for registration, searching and using downloaded files. Availability still depends on whether a suitable accessible edition exists and is available through the service.
In addition to the ABC Global Book Service, there are other exchange mechanisms that have been established which truly demonstrate the impact of the Marrakesh Treaty. For example, Nordic countries have been collaborating in the production of accessible titles and sharing them through mechanisms they have developed. Another example is ONCE, which has developed an ecosystem to support Spanish-speaking countries in accessing its collections. All these efforts have matured over the years, changing the landscape of accessible-format availability globally.
There is notable impact seen in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United States and the European Union. These countries joined and implemented the treaty early on, which enabled them to contribute their collections and benefit from the cumulative catalogue of the ABC Global Book Service.
It is obvious that this global impact of the Marrakesh Treaty has saved a lot of effort and resources as well as the frustrating duplication of production. Now the first step, when sourcing an accessible book for the reader, is to check its availability in another library before reproducing it.
Andrew Furlong from Vision Australia shared:
VA had the honour of being the very first beneficiary of an international exchange through the ABC, receiving a DAISY audiobook from the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) in 2016.
Since then, VA’s library clients have benefited from receiving more than 2,800 accessible books supplied by contributing libraries from around the world. VA has also been pleased to have shared over 1,200 of its own publications with others in a range of accessible formats such as DAISY and braille files.
In the past, if a book or other publication was not available in VA’s collection, clients could face a long wait, with no guarantee of when it could be produced in an accessible format.
Now, VA checks if the publication is available through another library participating in the ABC. In many cases it is, allowing us to provide it to our clients, and in a timely manner.
Australia is a multicultural society, and another tangible benefit of the international exchanges is the broader range and diversity of accessible material. Approximately 30% of the publications VA and its clients receives through the ABC, from other contributing libraries, are in languages other than English, spanning more than 14 different languages.
And as Monica Halil, Head of ABC has described it:
“The beauty is the multiplier effect: a book produced once can serve readers on multiple continents. “
Building Capacity
In the early stages of forming the Marrakesh Treaty it was evident that enhancing the legal framework alone would not be sufficient to implement a significant change to enable a person with print disability to read independently, particularly in developing countries.
Access to training in the creation, conversion, and use of accessible formats would be essential to help people fully participate in the exchange of resources.
ABC plays an important role in this area through its capacity-building programs in developing countries. These programs have helped many authorized entities begin improving access to information for their beneficiaries, particularly access to educational textbooks. The DAISY Consortium has collaborated with ABC in these efforts by providing training and technical assistance to participating organizations.
Similarly, DAISY launched an online learning system to support people who are creating and converting titles, as well as those interested in implementing the Marrakesh Treaty. The courses are available on the DAISY Learning website for free.
Alongside training, regional cooperation is important in addressing the practical challenges of ending the book famine. The DAISY Consortium established its Regional Networks to help bridge the gap between policy and implementation, bringing together organizations from different countries within each region. Through these networks, organizations work together to raise awareness and strengthen capacity to deliver accessible content to persons with print disabilities.
An example from the Caribbean shows how regional cooperation can turn the opportunities of the Marrakesh Treaty into practical access. In Trinidad and Tobago, collaboration between an organization serving people who are blind and the national library supported the production of accessible books that became available through the ABC Global Book Service.
During the DAISY Regional Network of the Caribbean countries’ webinar, the possibilities for exchanging accessible books across borders were explained. Following the webinar, an organization serving people who are blind in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines requested books for its readers. Books produced in Trinidad and Tobago were then shared under the Marrakesh Treaty, enabling students in the receiving country to access them. This experience shows how local production, awareness and regional cooperation can extend the benefits of accessible books beyond national borders.
Technical Challenges for Participating Libraries
Although cross border exchange has increased access to accessible books, participating libraries still face technical and operational challenges. The process does not end with obtaining the accessible title. Libraries must verify that the file meets their quality standards and that it can be discovered and used by their readers.
Accurate and consistent metadata is essential to identify and exchange accessible titles. Differences in cataloguing practices, particularly accessibility metadata, between libraries can make it difficult to add the imported title to the collection. Incomplete information about the book can make it harder for libraries to process the title and for readers to find it easily.
Although common international standards that support interoperability already exist, such as DAISY, EPUB, and eBraille…etc. differences in production practices and reading systems can create compatibility challenges. Libraries need to ensure that exchanged files can be used and read using the technologies available to their readers. This may require additional technical checks or adjustments before making the book available.
In addition, the quality of the accessible titles can vary depending on the production methods and quality assurance procedures used by each organization. A file can be technically valid but still contain accessibility problems that will not pass the quality check defined by the organization importing the books. Therefore, participating libraries need a process to assess the quality of the incoming files to assess whether they are suitable for their readers.
Despite these challenges, cross border exchange has expanded the collections of libraries and enhanced access for their readers. The experience of Association Valetin Haüy (AVH) in France illustrates how libraries have integrated these shared resources into their existing collection. In July 2024, WIPO recognized AVH as the leading user of the ABC Global Book Service and highlighted its practice of integrating ABC into its collection.
Basile Mignonneau, from AVH, DAISY France shared:
“Our main recommendation is to make cross-border exchange part of the library’s regular collection and reader-service work. Start with a clearly identified reader need and check whether a suitable accessible edition already exists abroad before commissioning a new adaptation.”
Where Progress Remains Uneven
Over the last ten years we have seen a steady number of countries ratify and implement the Marrakesh Treaty, yet progress in the adoption of the treaty can still stall at different stages.
In some countries, ratification is delayed by competing national priorities or a lack of awareness of the treaty’s benefits. In other countries, ratification has not been followed by the practical steps needed for effective implementation. Some countries that signed the original intent to adopt the treaty over 10 years ago have yet to implement it into national legislation.
Ratification alone, therefore, does not always translate into improved access to accessible books.
In some regions, technology gaps related to the localization of assistive technology, the lack of synthetic voices in local languages or even braille support leave these communities behind. They may have the will and the national legislation to improve access, but these technology gaps become a barrier to progress.
ABC has built a large global library of accessible titles, but some readers with print disabilities cannot benefit from it because their countries have not joined or implemented the provision of the Marrakesh Treaty into their national law. Other readers in some languages may have limited usable content or reading tools due to the technology gaps or production gaps in said language.
Towards the Next Decade
The Marrakesh Treaty has established a global mechanism that facilitates the production and exchange of accessible titles. Over the past ten years, much progress has been made, with tangible results.
However, its benefits remain unequal across regions, countries, languages and communities. There is still much we need to do as a community to support the implementation of the Treaty, so that more readers can have the same opportunities to read and study independently. After ten years of seeing its benefits and impact on people’s lives, we now look towards the future.
What, therefore, must be prioritized in the next ten years?
This is part two of a three-part series to celebrate 10 years of the Marrakesh Treaty
Return to part 1: Marrakesh: From Book Famine to Global Treaty
Continue to part 3: Marrakesh: The Next Ten Years
Return to the main Marrakesh Treaty article with links to resources.