Marrakesh Treaty - Overcoming the “book hunger” situation for visually-impaired people

Friday, JuIntending to disseminate the Marrakesh Treaty to organisations of people with disabilities, as well as its internalised regulations, at the same time, sharing advantages, difficulties, experiences, and proposing solutions to promote the implementation of provision, the training programme attracted the participation of more than 60 in-person participants and more than 50 delegates from domestic and international online spots.

Protection of copyright and the right to access publications for people with disabilities

The Marrakesh Treaty and new legal provisions on copyright have played an important role in overcoming the "book hunger" for people with disabilities. Visually-impaired people not only struggle with the inability to see physical light but also face the risk of a lack of intellectual light, due to limited access to publications.

Speaking at the training course, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Vietnam Patrick Haverman highly appreciated Vietnam's commendable efforts to improve access to information for people with disabilities, from the introduction of exceptions in the copyright law in 2005 to the expansion of provisions in the revised Intellectual Property Law in 2022.

In particular, in December 2022, Vietnam joined the Marrakesh Treaty, and Decree 17/2023/ND-CP was issued to guide the implementation of the revised Intellectual Property Law.

On December 6, 2022, Vietnam joined the Marrakesh Treaty on creating conditions for the blind and other disabled people to access published works (Marrakesh Treaty). The treaty officially took effect in Vietnam on March 6, 2023.

An overview of the Marrakesh Treaty Training Course for visually-impaired people.

At the same time, the Law amending and supplementing several articles of the Intellectual Property Law was approved by the National Assembly in June 2022. Decree No. 17/2023/ND-CP details several articles and measures for the implementation of the Law on Intellectual Property on copyright and related rights, which was also promulgated and took effect on April 26, 2023.

Vice President of the VBA Dinh Viet Anh said, according to the World Blind Union, only less than 1% of books published in developing countries were converted to an accessible format for people with print disabilities, including people with visual impairments, people with cognitive disabilities, reading difficulties, or physical disabilities that prevent them from holding or turning pages or unable to read with their eyes at a normal level.

Increasing accessibility of publications for visually-impaired people

Speaking at the seminar of the training course, the Head of the Department of Library under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Kieu Thuy Nga said currently, there are 21 out of 63 libraries nationwide that have served people with disabilities, especially those with print disabilities, seven libraries have separate reading rooms for people with print disabilities, three libraries in Hanoi, Dong Thap, and Ho Chi Minh City have an audiobook production studio. In addition, some libraries use mobile cars to bring service to readers.

The biggest difficulty is that the number of libraries that can meet the needs of people with disabilities is small, and the number of resources is limited with more than 30,000 titles serving people with print disabilities. And the funding is very limited for the addition of braille titles, and audiobooks.

The situation of “book hunger” exists even in developed countries like the US. According to statistics from the US National Federation of the Blind in 2015, less than 5% of published works were converted into a format suitable for the blind and print disabled.

With the desire to increase the accessibility of publications for those with print disabilities through the use of copyright exceptions, the Marrakesh Treaty was formally established in 2013. The treaty has played an important role in removing barriers for people with print disabilities, thereby facilitating equal access to information and improving educational and employment opportunities.

Currently, 92 signatories have joined the treaty, covering 118 countries and territories, and Vietnam is the newest member. Joining the Marrakesh Treaty not only marks Vietnam's commitment but is also an important step in building a more equitable and favourable environment for people with disabilities.

According to Dinh Viet Anh, with this Treaty, copyright barriers will be eliminated, facilitating the production and distribution of accessible books, thereby helping people with disabilities have the opportunity to access knowledge, education and employment.

While challenges remain, through the Marrakesh Treaty and related efforts, Vietnam is on the right track to improve copyright and book access for people with disabilities. The Marrakesh Treaty has opened a door of hope for people with print disabilities, allowing them to participate and access the wealth of new knowledge and opportunities that reading culture offers.