Sharjah: His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, directed to allocate Dh4.5 million to support the latest publications issued by the publishing houses participating at Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) 2021.
The grant of Dr Sheikh Sultan aims to provide Sharjah public libraries with various modern publications in all Arab and foreign scientific, literary and cultural fields, and to update the knowledge content of the libraries, which constitute a major reference for researchers and readers in the Emirate of Sharjah.
The grant also contributes to supporting publishers from various Arab and foreign countries participating in this year’s SIBF, which total 1,632 publishers from 83 countries.
Setting an example
Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri, Chairman of the Sharjah Book Authority, said: “The generous support of [Dr Sheikh Sultan] is vital to ensuring a bright future for Arab and global publishing. Moreover, it underlines the fact that development can be sustainable only when we continually nurture individual intellects and creative capacities by offering them access to abundant and updated sources of knowledge. With this directive, His Highness offers the world’s decision-makers an example of the role knowledge and education must play in fuelling meaningful progress.”
Three messages
Al Ameri added: “His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah has always been the publishing industry’s strongest supporter in the Arab world. Honouring of this annual commitment conveys three key messages.
“First, those who keep referring to outdated sources of knowledge will not progress well, which is why this yearly initiative ensures that Sharjah’s libraries are enriched with the latest learning resources in both Arabic and other languages.
“Second, His Highness is showing us the pivotal role of libraries in the advancement of society, reminding us that these treasure troves of knowledge are reflective of our identity as a nation.
“Third, boosting growth and business opportunities for publishers is a collective responsibility, which is partly fulfilled by a remarkable initiative like this and partly by the patronage of readers, their stand against piracy and their support for the protection of intellectual property rights.”
