Our Correspondent
Two Arab women have done the UAE proud this week – Sarah bint Yousif Al Amiri, UAE Minister of State for Advanced Sciences, and Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, the new President of the International Publishers Association.
Al Amiri has figured in the BBC’s list of the 100 most ‘inspiring and influential’ women of 2020. This year’s BBC’s 100 Women highlights those who are leading a change and making a difference during these turbulent times, especially women who contributed to mitigating the impacts of COVID-19.
Al Amiri, 33, is the current chair of the UAE Space Agency and also science lead of the Emirates Mars Mission that is behind sending the Hope Probe to space. She thanked the President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan for investing in human capital and enabling all members of the society to develop capabilities in various fields and the Vice President His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum for being a role model and source of inspiration for all.
Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi has become the first woman in the Arab world to be appointed President of the International Publishers Association (IPA) since the founding of the organisation in 1896. The announcement was made at the IPA General Assembly Congress held virtually on Zoom platform.
Sheikha Bodour is the second woman globally to occupy the position after Ana Maria Cabanellas of Argentina who served as Vice President and President of the Association from 2004–8. She will take up the position officially in January 2021. For the past two years, Sheikha Bodour was serving as the Vice President of IPA.
Sheikha Bodour is the daughter of H.H. Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah. Her appointment is an international recognition of Sharjah’s strong cultural and intellectual legacy. She founded the Emirates Publishers Association (EPA) in 2009 which gained full membership of IPA in 2012.
She played a vital role in the selection of Sharjah as the UNESCO World Book Capital 2019, whose Advisory Committee she headed.
Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi founded the Kalimat Group in 2007, which is today the regional frontrunner in the field of Arabic children’s publishing. Under the umbrella of the Kalimat Foundation for Children’s Empowerment, she launched several initiatives to fulfil the goal of providing books to refugees and children affected by conflicts and wars worldwide.
Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi has taken forward her vision of supporting the book industry at the international level with the founding of ‘PublisHer’, a platform that seeks to build a global women-led community of publishers. She spearheaded the efforts to organise the IPA Regional Conferences in Lagos, Nairobi and Amman.
The IPA is one of the world’s most prestigious federations of national and regional publishers’ associations. Through its members, IPA represents thousands of individual publishers worldwide. Founded in 1896 in Paris, IPA is based in Geneva, Switzerland. Its members hail from more than 83 organisations in 69 countries around the world.
