This September we are celebrating 10 years since the Marrakesh Treaty came into force. In June 2016 Canada became the 20th country to sign the treaty, and that gave the Treaty the minimum number of signatories needed to be implemented internationally.

What is the Marrakesh Treaty?

It is estimated that less than 10% of published works in developed countries and less than 1% in developing countries are ever made into accessible format(s). The Marrakesh Treaty was established to address this “book famine” for people with print disabilities by making the production and international exchange of accessible reading materials easier through establishing a set of limitations and exceptions to traditional copyright law. Countries who have ratified the Treaty must allow for the reproduction, distribution, exchange of published works in accessible formats for people with print disabilities. As of 2026, 129 countries including the European Union have ratified the Treaty, according to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), which led the negotiations for the Marrakesh Treaty.

What are the benefits of the Treaty?

The benefits are numerous.  Organizations like CELA are able to increase the depth and breadth of our collection by sharing resources with other countries.  In exchange, other countries can benefit from the materials CELA has produced in accessible formats.

For example, if Association Valentin Haüy (AVH)  in France has produced an accessible version of a book which would be a good addition to our collection, CELA can access that title and provide it to our users, eliminating the need and cost to produce a copy just for use in Canada. Similarly other countries can access books we have produced. This process helps limit the duplication of efforts and costs to create materials, and supports exchanging of materials, which otherwise might not be available, between organizations in other countries. Countries which may not have many books to share can still access materials on behalf of their residents with print disabilities, increasing access for all.

What the Marrakesh Treaty means for CELA users?

The ABC Global Book Service, WIPO's online catalogue of accessible books, now contains over 1.2 million accessible books in 80 languages, all available free of charge for cross-border exchange under the Marrakesh Treaty framework. In the past year, CELA downloaded 267 titles from ABC Global Book Service for use in our collection for a total 4,389 added since the Global Book Service began. In addition, over the past 4 years, CELA has received more than 101,000 audiobook titles and 11,000 braille titles from the National Library Service (NLS) in the US, thanks to provisions in the Marrakesh Treaty.  Accessing materials through the Marrakesh Treaty also allows us to explore adding books in other languages to better serve our uses.

What it means for people with print disabilities around the world?

Print disabilities affect millions of people around the world. In 2021 the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness estimated that globally there are 43 million people living with blindness and millions more with moderate-to-severe visual impairment. Another 800 million, approximately 10% of the global population have learning disabilities like dyslexia and millions more have physical disabilities which makes it difficult to read traditional print.

The Marrakesh Treat allows organizations to obtain accessible reading materials for their citizens who have print disabilities, something which may be especially important in developing countries. To date CELA has made available its produced accessible format titles to ABC and 22,272 books have been downloaded for use by other countries since the start of the ABC service.”

Through this exchange, organizations like CELA help the federal government meet its commitments to accessibility both at home and abroad through the Marrakesh Treaty and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. 

What’s next?

There is no doubt that the Marrakesh Treaty has improved worldwide access to accessible books and reading material around the world. But there is still work to do to remove barriers to reading. Not everyone can access materials in the language they require, and gaps exist particularly for academic and specialty materials. Technology, which is crucial for many readers with print disabilities, is not always easily accessible. Even in Canada, necessary funding for the production and distribution of accessible reading materials is not guaranteed.

But there is increasing public and governmental awareness of the importance of accessible reading materials for people with print disabilities. Collaborations between organizations continue to grow, and these relationships create opportunities for innovation and problem solving. By working together and advocating for equitable access both here in Canada and across the globe, we can build on the work begun 10 years ago in Marrakesh.

More information

To learn more about the ABC exchange service you can read Exchanging accessible books across borders – as easy as ABC, an article published in the WIPO Magazine.

Watch the video from WIPO Marrakesh Treaty: A promise of a better life about history of Marrakesh Treaty and the importance of its adoption.

Marrakesh Treaty Assembly Kicks Off 10th Anniversary Celebrations at WIPO