SHARJAH – Her Highness Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), chaired the Authority’s fifth Board of Directors meeting at its headquarters, bringing together Board members and senior executives to review 2025 achievements and outline SBA’s strategic direction for 2026.
The meeting gathered leading figures from the global publishing and cultural sectors, including H.E. Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri, CEO of SBA; Youngsuk ‘YS’ Chi, Chairman of Elsevier; John Ingram, Chairman of Ingram Content Group; Markus Dohle, Executive Vice President of the PEN America Board of Trustees; and senior cultural representatives from across the UAE.
Opening the meeting, Her Highness praised the Board’s insight and commitment, emphasising Sharjah’s role as a global hub for knowledge, culture, and creativity.
“This year has been transformative for the Sharjah Book Authority and for Arab publishing as a whole,” said Sheikha Bodour. “From our landmark agreement with UNESCO to digitise its global archives to strengthening academic and cultural partnerships in Europe, Sharjah continues to redefine what cultural leadership looks like.”
SBA’s 2025 Milestones
H.E. Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri presented key milestones achieved in 2025, including:
The Sharjah–UNESCO Digitisation Agreement, integrating millions of pages from UNESCO’s archives into the Sharjah Public Libraries system.
The inauguration of the Centre for Arabic Studies at the University of Coimbra, Portugal, and the digitisation of the historic Joanina Library.
Record participation in the Sharjah International Publishers Conference 2025, which hosted 1,599 publishers and literary agents from 116 countries.
The Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone, now home to 3,400 companies, including over 500 in publishing-related fields.
Vision for 2026
The Board endorsed an ambitious 2026 roadmap featuring events such as the Sharjah Festival of African Literature, Sharjah Literature Festival, and Sharjah Animation Conference. SBA will also expand its international engagement through new partnerships and digitisation projects.
Concluding the meeting, Sheikha Bodour reaffirmed SBA’s commitment to advancing innovation, cultural exchange, and global publishing leadership.
