Sharjah (Al-Ittihad)
The publishing industry is booming rapidly in the UAE, heralding a more sustainable future for this important cultural sector. A prosperity that was driven primarily by the tireless efforts of the Emirates Publishers Association, which recently celebrated the 15th anniversary of its founding in the Emirate of Sharjah, crowning its journey with distinguished achievements and successes that established its position in the cultural and publishing scene.
The Emirates Publishers Association was established in 2009 with an ambitious strategic vision whose goals were set by Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, the founder and honorary president of the association. It embarked on its journey to support and develop the publishing sector in the UAE, sponsor the Emirati publisher, overcome the obstacles it faces, and advance the publishing of Emirati books at the local and international levels.
Since its inception, the association's journey has been characterized by rapid pace and pioneering achievements, as it gained membership in the Arab Publishers Union and membership in the International Publishers Federation during the first year of its launch, in an unprecedented achievement for a national union. As a result of the dedicated efforts that Sheikha Bodour devoted to developing the publishing industry in the UAE and the Arab world, and under her leadership, the association was able to obtain permanent membership in the International Publishers Association in 2012, which gave its members the advantage of membership in these two prestigious organizations, and facilitated the task of expanding its work and projects. At the regional and international levels.
Over the years, the association has succeeded in supporting the sustainability of the Emirati publishing sector and enhancing the presence of Emirati culture, locally and globally, thanks to many qualitative initiatives, the most recent of which is the “Sharjah Fund for Sustainability of Publishing… Publish” worth 10 million dirhams, which was launched by Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi in the special celebration she held. The association marks the 15th anniversary of its founding. The fund represents a comprehensive strategy developed in partnership between the association and the Sharjah Book Authority, and in cooperation with Sharjah Publishing City, with the aim of helping the publishing sector expand and flourish through an integrated system of capital, expertise, and business acceleration and innovation platforms.
From local to global
The association had begun its journey with ten publishers, bringing the number of its members today to more than 330 publishers, which confirms that it is on the right path, and that it is playing an active role in translating its goals into reality, by empowering its members by coordinating their efforts, unifying their visions, protecting their rights, and facilitating their work. Providing development programs for them and representing them in all cultural forums on the regional and global levels.
The association focused on establishing a climate that supports the advancement of the Emirati publishing industry and enhancing its competitiveness on the global level. It was keen to participate in local and regional book fairs, and it also continued to participate in prestigious international book fairs around the world, as important platforms for transferring the successful publishing experience in the country to the world. Facilitating the entry of the Emirati publisher into new markets and expanding the movement of buying and selling publishing and translation rights, as well as providing the opportunity for Emirati book makers to learn about global experiences and the latest developments in the publishing sector, and enhancing their opportunities to play an influential role in drawing up strategies and legislation for the publishing industry, locally, regionally and internationally. .
An incubating environment
In continuation of supporting the publishing process in the country and serving the production of books with solid content and high quality, the association succeeded in launching and implementing many initiatives that contributed to consolidating the best practices related to local and Arab publishing, and making Sharjah and the Emirates an incubating environment for Arab publishing, the most prominent of which is the “Publishers Training Programme.” The first of its kind in the Arab region, it aims to provide an integrated package of training workshops for local and Arab publishers, in cooperation with an elite group of experts, in the fields of writing, publishing, distribution, editing, printing, and marketing.
The association’s efforts also included organizing workshops and seminars at the regional and global levels in cooperation with global institutions, such as the British Publishers Association and the International Publishers Federation, as well as its participation in international conferences on the future of publishing and its sustainability, which contributed to placing the name of the UAE on the global publishing map as a partner in Global efforts aimed at shaping a sustainable future for the publishing sector.
Sector sustainability
As part of its role in supporting publishers in facing challenges and providing them with advanced mechanisms to achieve higher levels of success, the association has developed many initiatives, most notably the “Crisis Fund for Emirati Publishers,” which was launched by Sheikha Baddour with a budget of one million UAE dirhams, to support those affected by the Corona pandemic, and to ensure the sustainability of their creative projects. And cultural.
In partnership with Nielsen BookData, the association launched a book bibliography study, with the aim of preparing digital lists of printed book titles in the Emirates, and providing accurate and advanced bibliographic data that keeps pace with international classification standards. It succeeded in increasing the titles indexed with the “Thema” classification to 9,277 titles, which contributed to Ensuring the highest possible percentage of global access to this data, and increasing sales opportunities for Emirati publishers.
To advance the prosperity of the publishing movement in the Emirates, over the past fifteen years, the Association has signed cooperation agreements with a number of influential institutions in the publishing sector, including the Arab Publishers Union, the Emirates Library and Information Association, the National Media Council, the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, and the Union of Writers. The UAE. These cooperative efforts resulted in the launch of many development projects and programs that served the association’s members, expanded their business horizons, and strengthened the UAE’s pioneering role in the region in the field of intellectual property rights protection.
Future visions
Thanks to the guidance and support of Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi, the Emirates Publishers Association has succeeded, over a decade and a half, in taking pioneering steps through which it has made its distinctive mark in the advancement of the local publishing industry. The association will continue its mission with future visions that focus on adopting innovative solutions, creating quality services and projects, and developing policies and legislation that will ensure a more sustainable and prosperous future for the Emirati and Arab publishing sector, and achieving the country’s global leadership in the field of publishing.
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