President of International Publishers Association: The UAE is a good example of publishing industry in the region

Emirati publishers highlight realty of UAE publishing industry before international publishers and promote local publishing sector in Frankfurt

Bodour Al Qasimi: We are seeking to promote a knowledge-based economy in the UAE

Sharjah, 13 October 2012: YoungSuk Chi, President of the International Publishers Association (IPA), emphasized that the UAE is a good example of publishing industry in the region and its full IPA membership would boost the IPA's approach to include more Arab countries into its membership.

His remarks came during a cocktail reception organized by the Emirates Publishers Association (EPA) on the sidelines of its participation in the Frankfurt Book Fair 2012, Germany, which aimed to open up new channels of communication between Emirati publishers and their counterparts from all over the world, and to discuss a survey recently conducted on the UAE's publishing industry.

IPA President congratulated the UAE for getting the IPA full membership and praised the UAE Publishers Association for its outstanding efforts over the past years to promote the publishing industry- which reflected positively not only on publishing industry in the UAE and the Gulf region but also on the international community-a fact that was clearly manifested in the majority vote at the IPA's general assembly, which was held alongside the Frankfurt Book Fair 2012.

Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qassimi, EPA president and founding member, attended the reception, which was organized at the stand of the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) at Frankfurt book fair.

Also present along side Sheikh Bodour were IPA President, Abdullah Al Owais, Chairman of the Department of Culture and Information, Ahmed Al Amri, SIBF Director, Mohammed Abdullah Al Shehi, Director of Publishing at Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority, and EPA's delegation members, as well as a large number of publishers and authors from around the world and IPA members.  

The EPA is continuing to make its mark on the global arena through its participation in various international events, and works restlessly to promote authorship and quality publishing within the UAE.

The latest outcome of EPA's outstanding efforts is gaining full IPA membership- a new landmark Emirati achievement announced recently at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2012, the largest global cultural extravaganza dedicated to books and literature.

On EPA's participation in the prestigious book fair, Sheikha Bodour commented, "The EPA has been at the forefront of developing and promoting a knowledge-based economy in the UAE. Participating in international events such as the Frankfurt Book Fair enables us to gain a deeper understanding into the current global trends in publishing, as well as what can be done to further accelerate growth in the sector. The association is always seeking to create real opportunities for a meaningful exchange of knowledge, and in this regard the EPA is indebted to the Sharjah International Book Fair for support."

Speaking about the cocktail reception, Sheikha Bodour said: "We have recently conducted a study on the UAE's publishing industry with an aim to help EPA in its mandate to improve and promote authorship and quality publishing within the UAE, and to disseminate the UAE's intellectual output throughout the Arab world and the entire globe. The Frankfurt Book Fair offered us an ideal opportunity to meet with top international publishers and familiarize them with the publishing climate in the UAE and the future of this sector in view of current developments."

She expressed her satisfaction with the number of participants and interaction during the meeting.

The EPA delegation took part in many activities organised on the sidelines of the exhibition, including conferences hosted by the Frankfurt Academy to help international publishers find their way in the digital world, as well Tools Of Change conference, in which 30 session covered debates on e-book standards, pricing, metadata, and supply chain innovations, and featured cutting edge presentations from visionary speakers.

The EPA's participation in the Frankfurt Book Fair is sponsored by the Sharjah International Book Fair, which has, due to a shared commitment towards the UAE publishing industry, supported the association in numerous activities and initiatives.

The Emirates Publishers Association is a non-profit organisation established on 25 February 2009 to serve and develop the UAE's publishing industry. Headquartered in Al Qasba, Sharjah, the EPA is responsible for representing Emirati publishers at all major international forums, conferences and events related to the publishing industry.

It also aims to highlight Arabic works at a regional and global level and works to improve the UAE's publishing industry through training courses, supporting those involved in the publishing industry and improving publishing-related regulations and legislation, as well as establishing a limited distribution company for its members and facilitating cooperation with local publishing, printing and distribution institutions. The Association's purview also includes translation to and from the Arabic language, as well as protecting copyright and intellectual property.

For more information please contact:
Yousef Al Taweel
Sahara Communications
E-mail: yousuf@saharagcc.com
Mobile: 050 556 25 20

Fadia Daouk
Sahara Communications
E-mail:fadia@saharagcc.com
Mobile: 050 538 39 73

© Press Release 2012