“Major reform is never born of chance. It is the fruit of a shared vision, patient dialogue, sustained cooperation, and collective commitment in service of the common good,” writes Awa Diouf Cissé, EIFL Copyright and Libraries Coordinator in this article published in Senegal’s ‘Le Soleil’ newspaper. 

Awa Diouf Cissé tells the story of how EIFL’s partner library consortium, the Consortium des Bibliothèques de l'Enseignement Supérieur du Sénégal (COBESS), and partners (including EIFL) advocated for ratification of the Marrakesh Treaty in Senegal. The Treaty – official name, ‘Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired, or Otherwise Print Disabled’ – was adopted in June 2013 by member states of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Twelve years of steady and patient advocacy by COBESS and partners bore fruit when, on 1 July 2026, Senegal's Council of Ministers adopted the bill authorizing the President to ratify the Treaty.

Publication/media outlet: Le Soleil (a leading newspaper in Senegal)

Article title: Marrakesh Treaty in Senegal: Beyond Ratification, Turning Twelve Years of Collective Advocacy into Effective Implementation

Date published: 13 July 2026

EIFL project/programme: EIFL Copyright and Libraries Programme 

Language of item: French

Read now: Read the article in French here (PDF), or in English here (PDF)

More about EIFL’s support for the Marrakesh Treaty.