Holy See signs new Treaty for the blind

Marrakesh, Morocco, 29 June 2013: The Holy See expressed satisfaction at the adoption of the Treaty to facilitate access to Published Works for Persons Who are Blind, Visually Impaired, or Otherwise Print Disabled. The adoption of the Treaty took place at the Diplomatic Conference of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) held from June 17 to 28, 2013 at Marrakesh, Morocco.

This result, said Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the UN in Geneva, "makes a difference in the lives of people" who have vision disabilities and helps their full participation in the life of society. At the same time, this treaty demonstrated that multilateralism is not only alive, but can serve as a concrete implementation of the common good, he added on 27^th June. The Holy See, concluded Archbishop Tomasi, decided to "immediately sign" the document and hopes for widespread ratification of the new treaty.

‘It took some years of hard work to arrive at this happy conclusion. The result, however, shows not only a sense of balance and respect for all interested parties, but also a substantive achievement. Such achievement makes a difference in the daily life of the beneficiaries of this Treaty: their quality of life can be improved by their easier access to a vast field of knowledge that will enrich them personally and make them more useful to society, added Archbishop Tomasi in his closing statement.

Diplomatic Conference to conclude a Treaty to facilitate Access to Published Works by Visually Impaired Persons and Persons with Print Disabilities was held from June 17 to 28, 2013 at Marrakesh, Morocco.

Source: VR Sedoc