Regarding her visit to Turkey, Al Qasimi noted that she was delighted to meet with the Turkish Publishers association, update them on the work taking place at the IPA, and encourage publishers to take advantage of the upskilling and capacity-building opportunities taking place at the IPA Academy, an initiative which she described as heralding a “new chapter for global publishing”. She also spoke highly of the dedication and commitment of publishers in Turkey for strengthening collaboration and solidarity among its members and urged them to move forward collectively with hope and optimism while creating productive partnerships to enhance the collective growth potential of the industry.
The IPA President’s remarks were given during the opening address to global publishing professionals at the Istanbul Publishing Fellowship Program. Highlighting the strong growth of the program in recent years, Al Qasimi also noted the success of the collaborative approach taken between Turkish industry stakeholders, publishers, and associations around the world, stating that that’s what made it “an excellent model for publishing events everywhere”. According to statistics included in the latest “Turkey Book Market Report” published by the Turkish Publishers Association, the country ranks sixth globally in publishing – with 68,554 new titles being published in 2019.
Finally, looking towards the future of the publishing industry, Al Qasimi reiterated the need for solidarity and cooperation to take the industry forward. She also said that the five priorities of copyright, freedom to publish, sustainability, diversity and inclusion, and technology and innovation, discussed at the recently concluded International Sustainable Publishing and Industry Resilience (InSPIRe) Symposium, are essential to future-proof publishing and building a more sustainable and collaborative global book ecosystem.