Riyadh: Sharjah-based Bodour Al Qasimi, President of the International Publishers Association (IPA), has called for enhanced solidarity of the Arab publishing industry on the sidelines of the Riyadh International Book Fair (RIBF) 2021 in Saudi Arabia.
A strong translation infrastructure, together with global partnerships, can transform the potential of the Arab publishing community into leading a new renaissance in Arab culture, said the IPA President while delivering a keynote on ‘Global Publishing: The Way Forward’.
Building businesses and bridges
Citing the COVID-19 pandemic as a historic opportunity to reimagine the industry, Al Qasimi encouraged Arab publishers to adopt a forward-looking approach integrated with sustainable business models.
The IPA President also called on industry stakeholders to deliver innovative content and support cultural dialogue between the East and West by sharing Arab stories and voices with the rest of the world.
New academy
In addition, she announced that an IPA Academy, a centralised global training resource for all members, aimed at upskilling and driving digital transformations, will be launched later this year.
Book fair tour
During her tour of RIBF 2021, the IPA President met with leading regional publishers and industry stakeholders and visited the pavilions at the venue. She also met with Saudi publishers and the new board members of the Saudi Publishers Association, to discuss current challenges and opportunities to adapt to new industry dynamics and set the foundation for the growth of the sector.
The IPA President’s visit to the KSA follows a series of meetings with publishers’ associations in Russia, Turkey, Egypt, Kenya, Ivory Coast, Ghana and Georgia earlier this year.
