IPA May 2020 Newsletter: New interview series, Prix Voltaire announcement, New WIPO DG-elect, SDG Book Club and more

Find out more about a new series of IPA interviews with publishers around the world, the 2020 Prix Voltaire & the new WIPO DG-elect

IPA NEWSLETTER May 2020 View this email in your browser Daren Tang of Singapore appointed new WIPO Director General The member states of the World Intellectual Property Organization appointed Daren Tang of Singapore as the next Director General on May 8, 2020. Read more.    2020 Prix Voltaire laureate to be revealed live on 3rd June   On June 3, IPA will reveal the laureate of the 2020 Prix Voltaire during an online award ceremony, thus recognizing exemplary courage in upholding the freedom to publish and enabling others to exercise their right to freedom of expression. Read more.    IPA in conversation with .... IPA is launching a new series of interviews with its members and others connected to the publishing industry about the challenges the sector is facing in different regions and what the future might hold. Read more. Read our constantly updated COVID-19 section sharing information on the action of publishers' associations around the world and government initiatives to support them.  UK fast-tracks abolishment of VAT rate on digital editions  The UK decision to "axe the reading tax", the abolishment of the 20 % value-added tax (VAT) on digital editions, has been fast-tracked and entered into force on May 1, 2020. Read more.  Read The World 7 weeks after launching Read The World with UNICEF and the WHO we've had around 110,000 views in 42 countries. 21 kids' authors have read their books + reiterated why reading is vital for good mental health. If you contributed, THANK YOU!!🙏 Videos are here. IPA leads the discussion on the power of diversity and inclusion for the industry  On Wednesday 27th May, the IPA led an important discussion on the role of diversity and inclusion livestreamed on the Publishers Without Borders Facebook and YouTube platforms. Michiel Kolman, Presidential Envoy for Diversity and Inclusion chaired the session which featured IPA's Vice President and founder of PublisHer network, Bodour Al-Qasimi, and CEO of the UK Publishers Association, Stephen Lotinga. Read more. Bologna Children's Book Fair wraps up online with BOP 2020 winners  The 57th Bologna Children's Book Fair, held from 4-7 May 2020 as an online special edition after the cancellation of the physical event, wrapped up successfully with 60,000 online visitors. Read more.  The online fair also featured a virtual SDG Book Club exhibition, click on the image below to see it. Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure – Books for Sustainable Development Goal 9 announced  On Friday 15 May, the ninth list of books for the UN SDG Book Club was announced. The list of titles in all six official UN languages, aimed at children aged 6-12, focuses on SDG 9 – industry, innovation and infrastructure. Read more.    IPA in the news Publishers Weekly carried a story on Bologna's announcement of the Best Children's Publishers of the Year 2020. The winners were also mentioned here.   IPA's invitation to African innovators to solve remote learning challenges amid COVID-19 outbreak was featured here, here and here. This collaboration with Dubai Cares is explored further in an article by Publishing Perspectives.   IPA president Hugo Setzer's statement on the coronavirus escapism through reading has been mentioned in a World Economic Forum article on the ensuing surge in book sales.   The Facebook community 'Publishers Without Borders', aimed at helping publishers during the coronavirus pandemic, has featured a number of discussions with publishing industry figures connected to IPA. These include a session featuring IPA president Hugo Setzer, a  discussion on the African book industry in times of COVID-19 with Samuel Kolawole of APNET and Hugo Setzer as well as a session on Diversity and Inclusion lead by IPA's Special Envoy for D&I, Michiel Kolman, with IPA Vice-President, Bodour Al Qasimi, Publishers Association CEO, Stephen Lotinga, and Publishers Weekly's Edward Nawotka.   IPA's message on the occasion of World Intellectual Property Day (27 April 2020) on the importance of the global copyright framework was picked up here. Actualitté covered the reading list for SDG 9 of the SDG Book Club. Former IPA President, Richard Charkin, continues his series of posts in Publishing Perspectives here.   IPA Blog Michiel Kolman: Gender and Ethnicity in Textbooks: systematic underrepresentation of female and minority characters in Dutch textbooks Like Follow Forward Subscribe About the IPA Established in 1896, the International Publishers Association (IPA) is the world's largest federation of publishers associations. The IPA is an industry body with a human rights mandate, whose mission is to promote and protect publishing and raise awareness of publishing as a force for economic, cultural and social development. Working in cooperation with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and other supranational bodies, the IPA champions the interests of book and journal publishing at national and supranational level. Internationally, the IPA actively opposes censorship and promotes copyright, freedom to publish (including through the IPA Prix Voltaire), and literacy. 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