Sharjah: Continuing her tour of pandemic-hit publishing markets worldwide, International Publishers Association (IPA) president Bodour Al Qasimi was in Madrid to meet publishers in the Spanish capital and reinforce the IPA’s commitment to engage with all stakeholders to identify opportunities for global cooperation to develop robust business ecosystems and fuel growth.

Addressing representatives of various publishing houses and board members of the Spanish Association of Publishers Guilds, Al Qasimi said that the IPA is in a unique position to unite publishers’ efforts globally, and to urge governments and international organizations to foster a nurturing environment for publishers and publishing to operate and flourish.  

The association represents 86 organizations from 71 countries that together serve markets totaling more than 5.6 billion people.

Marking its 125th anniversary this year, the IPA continues to uphold the values on which it was founded, an integral element of which is its continuous support to members to advance policy agendas on educational publishing and accessibility.  

Al Qasimi also briefed attendees on efforts in unify the voice and vision of the industry ecosystem through new projects implemented following publication of its From Response to Recovery report last year. Among the new projects are the IPA Academy, a centralized global training resource which aims to upskill and drive digital transformation, and the International Sustainable Publishing and Industry Resilience (InSPIRe) Plan, that aims to strengthen solidarity and collaboration between publishers and all stakeholders in the industry value chain including printers, authors, libraries, bookstores, and illustrators.

Stating that the InSPIRe plan will help unite the industry and boost its growth, Al Qasimi reiterated the importance of close cooperation among stakeholders to stimulate the future of the publishing industry.

The IPA president’s visit to Spain follows a series of meetings earlier this year with publishers’ associations in Saudi Arabia, Russia, Turkey, Egypt, Kenya, Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Georgia.