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Cultural Initiatives

Cultural Initiatives Libraries World Book Capital 2019

Sharjah named World Book Capital 2019

Sharjah (United Arab Emirates) was named World Book Capital for the year 2019 by the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, on the recommendation of the Advisory Committee which met at the Headquarters of the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) at La Haye.

The city was selected because of the very innovative, comprehensive and inclusive nature of the application, with a community-focused activity program containing creative proposals to engage the very large migrant population.

 

Why Sharjah for World Book Capital?

 

Since 2001, UNESCO has been selecting a World Book Capital every year on the grounds of certain criteria, where the title is awarded to the city, which shows continued excellence in charting a cultural programme of activities throughout the year to promote reading and books focusing on grassroot community involvement. The criteria include the breadth and impact of cultural programmes, and quality of events tailored by countries to promote books and reading.

Sharjah was chosen owing to the quality and diversity of its yearlong cultural programme, which stood out among the other entries competing for the 2019 title. Designated as the UNESCO World Book Capital 2019, Sharjah will be rolling out a wide range of activities and events over the year. Specialised committees will be formed to organise and supervise these events.

 

Sharjah Initiatives supporting the books industry:

01
Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) – Government entity dedicated to supporting books and reading
09
The Knowledge Cart – Provides public hospitals with mobile libraries
02
Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) – The third largest book fair in the world
10
The Neighbourhood Library – Provides public parks with mini libraries
03
Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF) – The largest of its kind in the Arab world
11
The On-board Library –Provides passengers on Air Arabia flights with books to read
04
Sharjah Publishing City (SPC) – The world's first publishing free zone
12
The Digital Library – Features 50 titles which are refreshed each year
05
The Translation Fund – Providing funding assistance to boost book translation
13
The Hotel Library – Aims to establish a library in every hotel in the emirate of Sharjah
06
Knowledge without Borders (KwB) – A cultural initiative which distributed 2,118,300 books to Emirati households, creating 42,366 home libraries
14
‘Books - Made in UAE’ – Strengthens skills and opens opportunities for authors and illustrators
07
1001 Titles – Aims to publish 1,001 first edition Emirati titles in 2016–17
15
The ‘Kan Yama Kan’ initiative – Provides high quality books for children living in conflict-affected areas around the world
08
The Mobile Library – Visited 300 destinations up to mid-2017
16
‘Read, Dream, Create’ – Promotes reading as a noble habit among children and young adults

Libraries

UAE takes pride in having a variety of libraries across the country. Browse our list of libraries in each emirate here.


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