FLA/FAIFE places great importance on its biennial World Report. This carefully researched survey provides the information professions with a regular insight into the state of intellectual freedom worldwide as it relates to libraries. It seems to be the nature of the sector that few out and out causes celebres emerge (although a few could be named). The world of journalism is a constant ferment of dangerous and threatening activity, and book publishing produces difficult cases all the time. Internet problems feature prominently in the press and on the Internet itself. Yet it might be possible to assume that libraries exist in an intellectual freedom safe haven. Unfortunately this is not the case. Libraries also share in the threats to privacy and the restrictions on access that trouble the world of knowledge and communication generally. Possibly because the threats creep up on libraries and are often experienced at second hand (for instance, through the suppression of a book or the blocking of a website), they are easier to ignore. The World Report is intended to open our eyes, alert us to dangers and enable us to fight emerging threats or support colleagues in other parts of the world.

The text of a country report is based on the response provided by the respondent(s) of each country and additional research in third party resources. Care has been taken to represent these views as accurately as possible. IFLA, the FAIFE Committee of IFLA and/or the editors/authors of the individual country reports cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies that may occur in the report. If the reader is aware of any such inaccuracies or would like to add information to the individual country reports, please send an e-mail to info(at) ifla-world-report.org.