Recently the GBA released a Guidance Note designed to provide a roadmap for ensuring access to age- and language-appropriate reading materials for the poorest and most vulnerable, both during the COVID-19 crisis, and beyond.
The 5-page note lays out the following guiding principles:
Do No Harm
Prioritize the Home
Adopt a Long-Term, Resilience-Focused Perspective
Promote Inclusion and Equity
Promote Book Quality
Emphasize the Most Marginalized
Engage the Private Sector
The note emphasizes the urgency of ensuring access to reading materials in homes, notes the value of existing materials (for example, from the Global Digital Library) for rapid response efforts, and highlights the need for sustained investments to strengthen the entire book chain.