PVLF 2025

UAE: Bodour Al Qasimi has completed a two-year journey to strengthen the publishing industry's role in achieving sustainable development

During her two-year term as President of the International Publishers Association (IPA), and the two years preceding her term as Vice-President of the IPA between 2019-2020, Bodour Al Qasimi accomplished a number of commendable feats, including bringing many new publishers' associations to the organisation, launching numerous impressive initiatives, inspiring the vision of diversity and inclusivity to be adopted, and broadening the scope of wo

Throughout her presidency of the IPA, Bodour Al Qasimi served as a role model, leading the global publishing sector through a difficult period during the pandemic and shaping the IPA's future. Her efforts have resulted in a paradigm shift in the publishing industry, as she has engaged many marginalised communities and countries, allowing them to be key players in the industry globally.

Women's participation has increased and their empowerment has been promoted globally. Bodour Al Qasimi's presidency set a precedent in and of itself, as she was the first Arab woman and only the second woman in history to hold the presidency of the IPA since its inception in 1869. Not only did she contribute to change within the association, but also in the world and the publishing industry as a whole, by combating prevalent culture and stereotypes about women, particularly Arab women.

She also empowered women in the industry by launching the 'PublisHer' initiative, a platform that promotes and assists female publishers. The impact she made during her reign will be felt in the future, as the next two presidents will be women, Karine Pansa and Gvantsa Jobava.

Furthermore, Bodour Al Qasimi played a significant role in global women's empowerment by serving as an excellent example of a leader during difficult times. She promoted gender equality and equal opportunity while attending international conferences and book fairs, calling for more collaboration among female publishers to exchange expertise and ensure a successful career for themselves and their peers. Created a rescue plan for publishing associations all over the world As she instilled the concept of partnership between publishers from different cultures, Bodour Al Qasimi transformed the challenges posed by the pandemic on the publishing sector, which hampered its growth, into great opportunities to shape the industry's future.

These collaborations resulted in the publication of the report, 'From Response to Recovery 2020-2021.' It included surveys and case studies that gathered the perspectives of a number of book industry representatives. The IPA team, led by Bodour Al Qasimi, communicated with more than 33 publishing associations worldwide, representing 70% of the global publishing market, worth approximately US$90 billion annually. Asia received 40% of the surveys and communications, Africa received 27%, and Europe and the Americas received 17% each.

Bodour Al Qasimi intended for the report to serve as a reference for the IPA's efforts to improve the adaptability and sustainability of the publishing sector, as well as to learn from the difficulties that publishers faced around the world. As a result of these survey results, the'International Sustainable Publishing and Industry Resilience' (InSPIRe) initiative was launched.

40 on-site visits to understand the challenges that publishers face Bodour Al Qasimi conducted 40 on-site visits throughout Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Europe to ensure that the findings and proposed solutions in the IPA's report were synchronised with local frameworks of publishing associations worldwide. She met with publishers in their own countries, particularly those societies that had long been isolated from the publishing sector and cultural scene.

IPA established the first educational academy in its history. Bodour Al Qasimi's continuous visits became a step toward establishing the pioneering'International Publishers Association Academy' initiative, which enrolled over 150 leading officials and executives in the publishing industry from more than 40 countries. Publishing houses, distributors, authors, teachers, book fairs, culture and free speech advocates were among those who benefited from the initiative.

Work through the academy now provides more than 15,000 publishers in over 70 countries with dialogues, lectures, and scientific analyses on modern publishing strategies, market trends, and reader preferences.

The IPA Africa Publishing Innovation Fund has been established. Al Qasimi's efforts were continued by the establishment of the'IPA Africa Publishing Innovation Fund,' where she assisted in the distribution of these grants to support the development of publishing practises, including educational publishing and initiatives that provide sources of knowledge for low-income communities, in order to increase access to books, strengthen knowledge and culture, and empower intellectuals and creatives.

Publishing associations from 11 Arab countries joined IPAArab publishers were widely supported and encouraged by the IPA President because they represent massive publishing markets with a significant influence on the culture of approximately 430 million Arabs worldwide. These efforts have piqued the interest of foreign publishers in Arabic literature, as its readers become more interested in translated works by Arabic writers.

Even before she became Vice-President and President of the IPA, Bodour Al Qasimi made every effort to increase Arab publishers' presence in the industry, and she continued to do so throughout her reign. Her valiant efforts paved the way for a number of associations in the region, including the'Emirates Publishers Association' in 2009, the'Saudi Publishers Association' and the'Tunisian Publishers Association' in 2015, the'Jordanian Publishers Association' in 2017, associations of Iraq, Mauritania, and Morocco who joined in 2018, Somalia in 2020, and, most recently, Libya and Sudan in 2021. Syria has also been invited to join as an observer member in 2022.

Bodour Al Qasimi was adamant about opening the IPA's doors to new members, concepts, and cultures, empowering societies whose voices had long been silenced to effectively contribute to the advancement of the publishing sector and promote their cultures globally. This was consistent with her objectives of sustainable development and shared values.

Bodour Al Qasimi's extensive experience and years of dedication to the book industry all accumulated during her time at the IPA, and her many accomplishments prior to becoming president are proof of that. Her ongoing efforts to elevate Sharjah's status as a global cultural centre resulted in the emirate being named "Sharjah World Book Capital 2019" by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). She is also the founder and CEO of the internationally renowned'Kalimat Group', as well as the founder of the'Emirates Publishers Association,' where she was able to connect the Emirati publishing community to the global counterpart, attracting more attention to Emirati literature and culture.