Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Vice President of the International Publishers Association, said that the Arab publishing movement is no different in the challenges it faces from other publishing sectors worldwide, but what distinguishes it is that it has a golden opportunity to develop and promote this industry and improve the efforts of the writer and the reader.
This came in a speech during the opening of the second day of the regional conference of the International Publishers Association, organized by the International Publishers Association, in cooperation with the Jordanian Publishers Association, which is held for the first time in the Middle East and North Africa, on the sidelines of the 19th Amman International Book Fair, during the past two days.
Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi added: “We cannot deny the existence of challenges specific to our region. We have weak distribution channels, a shortage of Arab professional editors and literary agents, not to mention funding difficulties, and significant challenges in the application of freedom of publishing and intellectual property rights principles in some Arab markets. Alongside the slowdown in the use of digital publishers for publishing, the content industry and others, all these challenges are a preliminary and correct step to put points on the letters and determine the right path to promote the publishing sector. “The conference will discuss all of these challenges openly and transparently, an important first step in setting a course. We must remember Sharjah, which UNESCO has chosen to be the World Book Capital of the Year. This choice is not only the culmination of Sharjah, but a tribute to the efforts of the knowledge industry. The whole Arab world. “The publishing industry in the Arab world should not go backwards. We are on a distinction between the past and the future. The AI revolution has radically transformed the way we learn, read and disseminate knowledge. We cannot predict how to read and learn in the near future. "But we must anticipate events and read the data correctly. There is a rising generation that considers the digital machine an integral part of his personality. We cannot impose anything on him. He is the one who forces us to change and develop." Sheikha Bodour Bint Sultan Al Qasimi called on all Arab publishers to interact more with the International Publishers Association, join the various technical committees, and attend training workshops held on the sidelines of book fairs in the world, to benefit from global experiences, exchange ideas, and open new markets for their books. It is changing, and the global reader is changing, asking for content from different regions of the world, and this is a great opportunity for Arab publishers.
The conference discussed the means available to publishers to promote the process of cultural and social renaissance in the Arab world, and review the most prominent axes that play an active role in improving the reality of publishing, and facilitate the access of knowledge to readers through a series of discussion sessions that discuss the areas of modern technology and its knowledge Illiteracy, and the integration of digital education resources into the curriculum in the Arab world, as well as various issues.
Prepare creative generations
The sessions discussed the importance of preparing creative generations of writers, artists and publishers, and presenting promising visions and perceptions that serve the advancement of human knowledge, the role played by libraries in the cultural renaissance of societies and the challenges posed by modern technologies. And publishers to the world, and discuss the technological reality and its developments, which in turn reflected on the freedom of publication and expression, and talk about the need for the Arab world to develop policies and strategies unified.
We have weak distribution channels, a shortage of professional editors and literary agents and funding difficulties.