Kicking off 2026
2026 marks the second year of the two-year mandate for IPA President, Gvantsa Jobava (Georgia), and IPA Vice President, Giovanni Hoepli (Italy). The year opened with a New Year message from IPA President, Gvantsa Jobava, reflecting on the vital role of literature and publishing in sustaining democracies, advancing equality, and defending freedoms.
Gvantsa Jobava in the IPA New Year Message
Membership
The IPA’s global community continued to grow. Membership now stands at 106 members in 85 countries, following the admission of one new full member – the Bulgarian Book Association (BBA) – and two new provisional members – the Georgian Book Association (GBA) and the Latvian Publishers Association (LPA). We congratulate all three and look forward to a fruitful collaboration.
In this regard, the Membership Committee deserves particular recognition for its diligent work in evaluating candidates. We extend our gratitude also to the IPA Executive Committee, Freedom to Publish Committee, and Copyright Committee, whose feedback ensures that new admissions remain grounded in IPA values.
More membership applications have been received in 2026, and the Membership Committee will present its recommendations ahead of the 2026 IPA General Assembly.
Freedom to Publish
The IPA’s Freedom to Publish Committee (FtPC) has continued its work monitoring publishing freedom worldwide, while managing two of the IPA’s most important distinctions: the Prix Voltaire and the newly introduced IPA Freedom of Expression Defenders Award. This year’s Prix Voltaire call for nominations yielded a record 35 submissions (the highest figure in the prize’s 20-year history). The shortlist was announced at the World Expression Forum (WEXFO), spotlighting the courageous work of six publishers from different parts of the world:El Maraya, Yehia Fekry (Egypt); Dar Al Jundi Publishing, Samir Al Jundi (Palestine); Gantala Press, Faye Cura (the Philippines); Freedom Letters, Georgy Urushadze (Russia); KompasGuide, Vitali Ziusko (Russia); and Sam Yan Press, Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal (Thailand). The laureate will be announced at the Prix Voltaire ceremony during the 35th International Publishers Congress in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
2026 Prix Voltaire Shortlist Announcement
This year also brought an important leadership change to the FtPC. Jessica Sänger (Director of the Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels, Germany) was elected as the new Chair of the FtPC. She has been an FtPC member for the past eight years, and succeeds Kristenn Einarsson (Norway), who stepped down after eight exemplary years at the helm.
Jacob Søndergaard (Gutkind, Denmark) also joined the Committee, which now comprises nine members, namely: Zeynep Atiker (Tukish Publishers Association, Turkey), Sherif Bakr (Al Arabi Publishing and Distributing, Egypt), Roberto Banchik (Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial, Mexico), Simon de Jocas (ANEL, Canada), Jaeho Kang (Seoul National University, Korea), John McKay (AAP, USA), Jessica Sänger (Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels, Germany), Jacob Søndergaard (Gutkind, Denmark), and Yoshiaki Yoshino (Japan Book Publishers Association, Japan).
On the advocacy front, the IPA has maintained a vocal presence in condemning censorship. We issued statements on the arrests of Hong Kong booksellers, the exclusion of certain bookshops from the German Bookshop Award, and the labelling of several Belarusian publishers as extremists by their government. The IPA will continue to stand firmly in defence of the trinity of freedoms, that is, freedom to publish, freedom to read, and freedom of expression.
In addition, IPA continues to work closely with leading defenders of the trinity of freedoms, including EIBF, PEN International, Index on Censorship, and IFEX. An example of fruitful collaboration was the Young Voices Workshop, held by the FtPC at WEXFO, and co-organised with the Frankfurt Book Fair and PEN International.
Copyright
IPA confirmed its active participation in the 48th session of the WIPO Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR 48), held from 18 to 22 May at WIPO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. The IPA delegation was geographically diverse, drawing participants from Belgium, Brazil, Egypt, France, Germany, Georgia, South Africa, Spain, and the United Kingdom. As observers, they engaged with a wide range of agenda items, including limitations and exceptions, broadcasting organisations, copyright in the digital environment, artists’ resale rights, and the protection of theatre directors’ rights. The IPA published daily blog posts covering the 48th session and delivered formal statements on Exceptions and Limitations and the Access Toolkit.
IPA Delegation at WIPO
Moreover, IPA organised a side event on copyright’s importance for African and Latin American publishers, which raised awareness of publishing ecosystems in these regions and underscored the role of robust copyright protection in supporting educational materials production and the promotion of indigenous knowledge. The event also addressed the growing implications of artificial intelligence for publishers and creators, with participants calling for adequate compensation for the use of content produced by authors, researchers, and publishers. IPA is proud to hold this discussion at the heart of international copyright debates.
IPA Side Event at the 48th session of the WIPO SCCR – From left to right: Dante Cid, Ahmed Rashad, Gvantsa Jobava, Brian Wafawarowa, Professor Sihawukele Ngubane, and Catriona MacLeod Stevenson
On the occasion, IPA also attended meetings of the CDIP, ACE, and the Intergovernmental Committee on Traditional Knowledge (IGC). Bilateral meetings were held with delegations from Brazil, the European Union (including Spanish Counsellor Juan Suarez Martin), France, Egypt, and the GRULAC group. The IPA Secretary General and Ana del Arco also met with members of the Spanish delegation, including Counsellor Carmen Martínez de la Peña, and continued coordination of the cross-sector Creative Sector Organisation group.
Beyond the WIPO SCCR 48, the IPA Copyright Committee held a hybrid meeting during the London Book Fair and provided consultation responses and member support on legislative and policy developments in Kenya, Zambia, Korea, Thailand, India, Chile, and Brazil.
The IPA also released a blog post to mark World Book and Copyright Day.
Educational Publishers Forum Updates
Christoph Pienkoss (Verband Bildungsmedien, Germany) was elected Chair and José Manuel Anta (Spanish Publishers Association, Spain) Vice Chair of the IPA Educational Publishers Forum (EPF), aiming to bring together professional K-12 educational publishers from around the world, while hosting a mix of face to face and virtual meetings, covering sector best practices, as well policy developments at national, regional and international level.
In this vein, the EPF’s Strategic Plan for 2026–28 was developed at a meeting held at the FGEE headquarters in Madrid, and, until now, three meetings took place in total: two in person (at BETT in London and in Istanbul, Turkey) and one virtual. Notable moments of the EPF included the joint participation of the IPA President and EPF Chair at events in Slovenia in support of the national member, and a letter co-signed with FEP to the Slovak government addressing proposed changes to the national curriculum.
IPA Educational Publishers Forum in Slovenia. From left to right: Jaka Gercar, Christoph Pienkoss, and Gvantsa Jobava
Inclusive Publishing Literacy
The Inclusive Publishing and Literacy working groups continued to advance sustainability, accessibility, literacy, diversity, and inclusion as priority themes on the publishing agenda. Key activities included deepening cooperation with the United Nations through the SDG Book Club and SDG Publishers Compact, convening meetings of the WIPO Accessible Books Consortium, and hosting panels on sustainability and accessibility at the London Book Fair. A range of blog posts on these topics is available on the IPA website.
IPA Accessibility Event at the London Book Fair. From left to right: Abigail Barclay, Gvantsa Jobava, Jodie Williams, and Iram Satti
The IPA also contributed to the selection of upcoming UNESCO World Book Capital Cities: Rabat holds the designation for 2026, while Medellín will take on the title in 2027. We congratulate both cities and look forward to seeing their publishing communities flourish during their respective years.
We invite you to read González Martín’s (Spain) blog posts written for the IPA website on topics related to literacy, such as “Maybe young people want to read… but cannot seem to escape the screen”, “R&D for Reading: Learning Across Borders”, and “The Priority of Reading Promotion at Professional Bookfairs”.
Book Fairs and Events
The IPA was represented at a wide range of international book fairs and events during the first half of 2026, including BETT (UK), the Cairo International Book Fair (Egypt), the International Literary Festival Cuentento (Spain), Seen and Heard (Malta), the London Book Fair (UK), the Salon du Livre de Genève (Switzerland), the Bologna Children’s Book Fair (Italy), the Tunis International Book Fair (Tunisia), the Rabat International Book Fair (Morocco), the Thessaloniki International Book Fair (Greece), the IFRRO Mid-Year Meeting (Romania), the Festival of the Bulgarian Association of Communications Agencies (Bulgaria), the Beijing International Book Fair, and the Encuentro de la Edición 2026 (Spain). These occasions provided valuable opportunities to attend meetings and ceremonies, participate in panels, deliver keynote addresses, announce awards, and engage with members and government officials alike.
IPA at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in the Panel “Stories That Change Us: Gender Equality Through Children’s Literature”. From left to right: Gvantsa Jobava, Paula Erizanu, Arne Svingen, Lena Karlsson, and Olga Osaulenko
The IPA also maintained its active presence in key international forums, including the UNESCO Global Education Coalition, the UNESCO Committee for the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, the EDItEUR Board, FEP meetings, the International ISBN Agency Board, the International Public Lending Right Board, the World Expression Forum Board, the WIPO Accessible Books Consortium Board, the WIPO for Creators Board, and the International Publishers’ Coalition in China.
Communications
Five monthly newsletters have been published in English and Arabic (check the last one here). They covered several topics, particularly freedom to publish, copyright, IPA events, Congress updates, news from the publishing world, and book fair announcements. Additionally, nine press releases and 20 blog posts have also been published, complemented by sustained activity across Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
We invite you to subscribe to the IPA newsletter to stay tuned with our work, and we encourage our supporters to engage with our content on social media. Your support helps IPA amplify its values to broader audiences, extending the reach of the global conversation on freedom to publish and copyright.
Looking Ahead
The 35th International Publishers Congress will take place from 5 to 8 July 2026 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with more than 300 delegates expected. The Organising Committee is chaired by Sheikh Faisal Sheikh Mansour, and the Programming Committee by José Borghino. Luis González Martín (Spain) will participate in a panel on Reading.
Tickets for the 35th IPA Congress are still available at http://www.publisherscongress.com
In addition, three further Executive Committee meetings are planned for the remainder of the year, including an in-person gathering at the Frankfurt Book Fair in October. Three meetings have already taken place, including one in person at the London Book Fair.
Finally, the IPA General Assembly will be held virtually on 24 November 2026, with electronic elections running from 6 to 20 November.