What the Marrakesh treaty means for blind people

• Author: Dan Pescod
• Position: Vice Chair of the Right to Read Campaign, World Blind Union (WBU)
• Pages: 5-6

p. 5WIPO | MAGAZINE

Puerto Ric an virtuo so guitari st, singer and

composer, José Felicia no, blind Senega lese

jazzman, Pa pe Niang and Braz ilian regga e

band, Tribo de Jah , formed at the Mara nhão

School for the Blind, att ended the Diplomatic

Conference to lend t heir support and tr eated

delegates to an e vening gala pe rformance.

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WHAT THE

MARRAKESH

TREATY MEANS

for blind people By Dan Pescod,

Vice Chair of th e Right to Read Campai gn,

World Blind Union (W BU)

Photo: WIPO/Berrod

As Vice Chair of the World Blind U nion’s Right to Read Campaign, I have been

participating in meetin gs of WIPO’s Standing Committee on Copy right and Related

Rights (SCCR) for the past eight years. For th e past ve, I have coordinated WBU’s

day-to-day campaigning for what will now be k nown as the Marrakesh Treaty, work-

ing with our Chairs – Chris Fri end and then Maryanne D iamond. Our campaign for

this treaty became more a way of life tha n a job.

I know I speak for all my collea gues when I say that we found the Marrakesh Diplo matic

Conference, and most espe cially its outcome, to be momentous, historic, emotional,

and scarcely believab le. The much-used tag “Miracle of Mar rakesh” is indeed apt.

MAKING A PRACTI CAL DIFFERENCE

WBU feels we have the treaty we sought; one that wi ll really make a practical diffe r-

ence to the lives of millions of blind an d print disabled people.

Many said the treaty would never h appen. Some said it was not worth pur suing,

arguing that in itself it would not e nd the book famine. I can conrm that it wil l not

end the book famine. The treat y, though a great and important a chievement, is just