The UN invites Mexico to add titles to the Reading Club for sustainable development
Guadalajara, Jal., The United Nations Organization (UN) launched this Tuesday a call aimed at the country’s publishing sector for Mexico to add titles in Spanish and native languages to the Reading Club of its Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) program, which seeks to use books as a tool to encourage children ages six to 12 to interact with the principles of this international initiative.
We want to inspire publishers and new authors to write books that serve society, to do greater good for the world.
detailed Melissa Fleming, Secretary General of Global Communication of the UN, when announcing the call in the context of the 38th Guadalajara International Book Fair.
At a press conference, he explained that the prestigious English university of Oxford identified the expression as the phrase of the year brain rot (brain impairment), “a situation that occurs due to the consumption of low-quality content, especially among young people.
intellectual garbage
Experts say this has increased in the last two years because kids are on a diet of intellectual garbage on social media. Our book club is an antidote to that; who read books, who are well informed, who can make young people engaged and inspired.
Karine Pansa, president of the International Publishers Association, recalled that when the SDG Reading Club was launched she was at the head of the International Book Organization in Brazil, a country where the project was a great success, with 1,100 joining securities.
The 17 Sustainable Development Goals proposed by the UN are: end of poverty, zero hunger, health and well-being, education and quality, gender equality, clean water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy, decent work and economic growth, innovation in industry and infrastructure, reduction of inequalities, sustainable cities and communities, responsible production and consumption, climate action, underwater life, life of terrestrial ecosystems, peace and justice and solid institutions, as well as alliances to achieve the objectives.
With a curated list of books from around the world related to each of these 17 points in the six official UN languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish) the book clubs are formed. that have already demonstrated their transformative power, especially since publishers are already addressing the issues in ways appropriate for children, offering tools for a more sustainable future for all
Pansa added.
The UN will receive applications for books in Spanish and indigenous languages, aimed at children from 3 to 12 years old and related to one or more of the 17 SDGs, from publishers, authors, illustrators and translators from this moment until 3 of February.
An editorial committee will choose the titles, which will be announced in March 2025. These books will make up the first curated list of the club’s Mexico Chapter, thereby We hope to strengthen and promote reading as a pillar of the comprehensive development of children, to bring children and their families and communities closer to the SDGs, promoting actions that contribute to a more sustainable, prosperous and inclusive future.
reiterated Peter Grohmann, UN resident coordinator in the country.
The details of the call can be consulted at https://www.club-de-lectura-ods.onu.org.mx/convocatoria.