In today's globalized world, foreign literature has experienced a boost unprecedented in the history of culture and publishing. But despite the quantity and quality of texts translated and published yearly throughout the world, the variety and representative nature of those in the global market cannot be taken for granted, because of its intrinsic asymmetry.
Although the publishing market is much more varied and wide-ranging than in the past, it still remains necessary to promote cultural diversity and pluralism in it.
UNESCO, one of whose strategic and fundamental aims is the promotion of cultural diversity, can and must be active in this field. Its methods of intervention come from the mid-term strategy that UNESCO has adopted for the period 2002-2007. This strategy calls on it to act as a clearing house, as a catalyst for international co-operation, as an organization offering normative guidance and as a laboratory of ideas

The Clearing House for Literary Translation makes it possible to carry out these functions in the specific area of offer in the international literature market; and this, by means of an interactive information tool which is available free online.