Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi, President of the International Publishers Association (IPA), has hailed the need for co-ordinated efforts to address challenges encountered by women professionals in publishing and to offer viable solutions to strengthen women empowerment in the industry during her recent visit to the Latin American countries of Colombia and Argentina.

The IPA President met Maria Juliana Ruiz, First Lady of the Republic of Colombia, at the “Casa de Nariio” in Bogota, and discussed successful women’s empowerment strategies implemented in the two countries.

Bodour Al Qasimi also shared the most impactful initiatives of the Kalimat Foundation that are promoting diversity in the Arab publishing sector.

In her meetings with publishers and industry stakeholders during the visit, the IPA President reiterated the need to improve practices in the publishing industry and called for prioritising the empowerment and training of female publishers to build capacities, close skills gaps, and develop robust and inclusive business ecosystems.

In Colombia, the IPA President met Diana Escobar, VP of Sustainable Development at Ecopetrol Colombia, and officials of the Regional Center for the Promotion of Books in Latin America and the Caribbean (CERLALC), to discuss the scope for collaborations in the training of female publishers.

Sheikha Bodour also met Angelica Mayolo, Colombian Minister of Culture, and explored opportunities for collaboration with IPA, especially in the field of diversity and inclusion, and thereby strengthen the presence and role of women in the industry.

In Argentina, the IPA President outlined strategies for empowering women in the publishing industry in a panel discussion with Ana Maria Cabanellas, President of Grupo Editorial Claridad, one of Argentina’s leading publishing houses.

During her meeting with member publishers of the Colombian Book Chamber, Bodour discussed issues relating to sustainability and explored the challenges of paper shortages and its impact on the publishing sector.

In her meeting with Argentinian publishers, the IPA President reiterated her support for the recovery and growth of publishing markets impacted by the global pandemic and urged publishers to take advantage of the upskilling and capacity-building opportunities offered under the IPA Academy, which is now live.

Bodour also attended the opening ceremony of the Buenos Aires International Book Fair and toured the International Book Fair in Bogota during her visit to the two Latin American countries.

Recently, Maria Juliana Ruiz, and Marta Lucia Ramirez, Vice President and Minister of Foreign Relations of Colombia, visited the “Museum of the Future,” where they were briefed about the human and global dimensions of the pioneering project, which was established as a platform for bringing together the makers of the future from around the world.

During the visit, which included a tour of the museum’s facilities and main exhibitions, First Lady and Vice President of Colombia were briefed about the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, to restore civilisation in the region and create specialist labs to gather innovators in the sectors of health, education, smart cities, energy, transport and the future economy.

Ruiz and Ramirez also learnt about what the museum offers in the areas of science and sustainability, especially as Ruiz holds the position of Goodwill Ambassador of Goal 17 of the Sustainable Development Goals, which is to “Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development,” as well as to support children, protect them from violence and improve their chances in life. The museum is an opportunity to experience the various dimensions of the future and is an environment that embraces the best experts in foreseeing the future.

Last month, the UAE and Colombia announced, in a joint statement, that they have completed phase one of their Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (UAE-Colombia CEPA), which will help strengthen their trade and investment relations.

WAM