The city of Yerevan (Armenia) was nominated as the　"World Book Capital" for the year 2012, for the 12 months between two celebrations of World Book and Copyright Day (23 April). This initiative is a collaborative effort between representatives of principal stakeholders in the book sector and the cities which have committed themselves to promote books and reading.

The Selection Committee, made up of representatives of three major branches of the global book industry: the International Publishers Association (IPA), the International Booksellers Federation (IBF), the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), and UNESCO examined the following candidatures:

• Guilin (People’s Republic of China)
• Klaipeda (Lithuania)
• Yerevan (Armenia)
• Wellington (New Zealand)

Yerevan was nominated on the account of the quality and variety of its detailed, realistic, grass-roots programme, focusing on universal issues and linking all the aspects and actors of the book chain.