In her meetings with IPA members, Pansa was able to discuss IPA’s work, hear the challenges of our members and focus on IPA’s pillars of copyright and freedom to publish as well as issues such as data and sustainability.
At Seoul International Book Fair, IPA Past-President Bodour Al Qasimi was also present as part of the Sharjah Guest of Honour programme. Both Al Qasimi and Pansa delivered speeches during the opening ceremony.
In her remarks Pansa thanked the Korean Publishers Association for being such an engaged member of IPA. She also spoke of IPA’s pillars of copyright and freedom to Publish:
Back in 2019, this fair hosted the ceremony for our freedom to publish prize – the Prix Voltaire – and had a dedicated exhibition and programme on banned books and censorship. Back then our Prix Voltaire laureate was Khaled Lotfy who was serving a 5-year prison sentence for publishing a book. It gives me great pleasure to share with you that Khaled was released from prison at the end of last year and is back publishing books. You should also know that it was a source of great strength to him in those dark days to know that his colleagues from around the world were supporting him.
Khaled’s story is one that many publishers in many countries could face. International solidarity among the publishing community is essential.
That solidarity must also apply to our work on IPA’s other pillar, copyright.
Every time I attend a book fair I wish I could bring those policy makers who question the importance of copyright in the sharing of culture and knowledge. Just look at the wonderful range of stands here. Books from all over the world, being translated, adapted, being discovered by new readers. Copyright underpins it all.
See the full remarks below. You can see Karine Pansa’s social media posts from Seoul on Instagram here and here.
At the Beijing International Book Fair, Pansa spoke at two events while also meeting representatives of IPA’s member, the Publishers Association of China.
In remarks at the First International Summit on Publishing Discipline and Education, Pansa spoke about Publishing Education focusing on how the publishing sector more broadly has a responsibility to communicate the remarkable value of publishing to decision makers and politicians. She also spoke about how education publishing has a vital role to play in publishers support the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG4.
Pansa also delivered a keynote at the 2023 International Publishing Forum organized by China Publishing & Media Journal and International Publishing Weekly with the support Publishers Association of China (PAC), International Publishers Association (IPA) and China Publishing Group (CPG).
Pansa had been invited to talk about Innovative Publishing Cooperation for Mutual Benefit and dedicated her speech to the constant innovation that is taking place within publishing and how cooperation goes to the heart of the work of the IPA since its founding in 1896. Pansa underlined the importance of data on our industry in helping us communicate the economic and cultural importance of the sector before insisting on the need for cooperation internationally to ensure that the pillars of publishing are secured.
She closed by highlighting the bigger need for cooperation around the climate crisis where publishers have a vital role to play both through the books they publish and the way they conduct themselves as businesses.
You can read Karine Pansa’s social posts on her trip to Beijing here and here.
Karine Pansa remarks
Seoul International Book Fair Opening Ceremony
organized by
Korean Publishers Association
14 June 2023
Good morning ladies and gentlemen
What an honour it is to be back here at this wonderful Seoul International Book Fair.
The last time IPA was here was in 2019, only four years ago but feels like another time.
My thanks to the Korean Publishers Association for being such an engaged member of IPA and sharing our core pillars of freedom to publish and copyright.
Back in 2019, this fair hosted the ceremony for our freedom to publish prize – the Prix Voltaire – and had a dedicated exhibition and programme on banned books and censorship. Back then our Prix Voltaire laureate was Khaled Lotfy who was serving a 5-year prison sentence for publishing a book. It gives me great pleasure to share with you that Khaled was released from prison at the end of last year and is back publishing books. You should also know that it was a source of great strength to him in those dark days to know that his colleagues from around the world were supporting him.
Khaled’s story is one that many publishers in many countries could face. International solidarity among the publishing community is essential.
That solidarity must also apply to our work on IPA’s other pillar, copyright.
Every time I attend a book fair I wish I could bring those policy makers who question the importance of copyright in the sharing of culture and knowledge. Just look at the wonderful range of stands here. Books from all over the world, being translated, adapted, being discovered by new readers. Copyright underpins it all.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The theme of this year’s fair – Inhuman, beyond human, into human – brings to my mind our current fascination for technology and especially artificial intelligence. The Human Artistry Campaign makes a point of underlining the interaction of technology with art throughout history but the importance of the ‘human’ in creative works. Our gathering here in Seoul is also about the human, those personal contacts that we create that help us understand each other, our societies, and our world a little bit better.
What publishers do is remarkable and we should celebrate it more.
As Khaled Lotfy said, through his brother here in Seoul in 2019, publishing is the noblest profession.
Thank you