Bodour Al Qasimi calls for platforms to support pioneering women in publishing

Jakarta (Union)

Sheikha Bodur bint Sultan Al-Qasim, President of the International Association of Publishers, moderated an opening dialogue hosted by the International Congress of Publishers as part of its 30th session activities in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, entitled: “Publisher: Pioneering Women in Publishing” .
The session featured a panel of speakers specializing in the publishing industry, including Friza Pavita Buspanegara, co-founder and director of Simpul Group Indonesia, Latoya West Blackwood, board member of PublisHer and former president of the Jamaica Book Industry Association. and Flavia Pravin, Brazil, Executive Director of Publications at Cogna/Saber.
Speaking at the session, Sheikha Bodur Al-Qasim confirmed that the PublisHer initiative, run by a women’s council, was launched by her to address the challenges she faced as a publisher, whether cultural or geographic. It hampers gender equality and the inclusion of women in the publishing industry and increases the value of products, literature for women and improves practices so that women can enter the field.
The session discussed the direct impact of contemporary market conditions on women in publishing, in addition to the negative effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and changing demographics, to achieve women’s inclusion and literary diversity in publishing and authorship. and decreased publishing revenues due to currency depreciation, inflation and changes in consumer behavior.
Sheikha Bodur spoke about the many initiatives launched by the International Publishers Association to support women, noting that the Federation’s Publishing and Literacy Committee has been working to develop inspiring diversity and inclusion plans and tools to address challenges, including imprecise definitions. Difficulties in building organizational support for reporting on diversity and inclusion and lack of common standards.
She emphasized that such proposed programs aim to strengthen employment opportunities for women and provide platforms for them to express themselves, support the efforts of gender diversity pioneers, and provide information on career paths to inspire more women to enter the publishing industry.
Sheikh Bodur Al-Qasim assured members of the delegation of the efforts of the “International Association of Publishers” and noted that “PubblisHer” launched “Diversity and Inclusion in the Publishing Industry” in response to these efforts, as the guide is diagnostic. toolbox Supporting publishers to be more diverse and inclusive, and “PublisHer” wanted to » facilitate access on their official website: https://womeninpublishing.org/about.