Congress Countdown – 34th International Publishers Congress to start on 3 December

Guadalajara, Mexico is about to become the centre of the publishing world with the Guadalajara International Book Fair opening its doors on 30 November, and then the 34th International Publishers Congress running from 3-6 December.

Organised by the Mexican Publishers Association with the support of the Association of American Publishers Association, the University of Guadalajara and the International Book Fair, the International Publishers Congress will take place at the magnificent Conjunto Santander de Artes Escénicas under the theme Turning Pages: Publishing and the Future Society. With speakers and delegates expected from around the world, the Congress will gather some of the biggest names in publishing and from international governmental agencies to discuss the topics that will define the future of publishing and our societies.

Key Speakers include :

• Jesus Badenas, CEO, Planeta
• Melissa Fleming, Under-Secretary-General, United Nations
• Sylvie Forbin, Deputy Director General, World Intellectual Property Organization
• Enrique Krauze, Mexican author and publisher
• Oleksandra Matvichuuk, CEO, Center for Civil Liberties (Nobel Peace Prize 2022)
• Brian Murray, CEO, HarperCollins
• Karine Pansa, President, International Publishers Association

The discussions will look at IPA's pillars of copyright and the freedom to publish from a number of angles. Copyright sessions will look at artificial intelligence, enforcement, and regulation, with freedom to publish sessions looking at the situation in the Americas with dedicated sessions on book bans, state control over educational publishing, and how the broader sector can work together to secure the freedom of writers, publishers and readers alike.

The second day will focus on the Sustainable Development Goals, the Congress itself being the target of the 1000 Actions Campaign. A keynote by United Nations Under-Secretary General, will launch discussions about how publishing will evolve in the future and impact people and the planet, alongside other sessions looking at accessibility and publishing as a trust marker in the age of misinformation.

The Congress will also be the opportunity to celebrate a number of outstanding publishers and intiatives with the Gala dinner hosting 4 different prizes - the 10th edition of the WIPO ABC International Excellence Awards, the IPA Champion Award, the IPA Innovation in Publishing Award, and the 2024 IPA Prix Voltaire. You can see all of the shortlists below.

The City of Guadalajara, and the International Publishers Congress promise to be an inspiring look to the future and a celebration of publishing today.

All details at https://publisherscongress.com/

• Speakers
• Programme

The 10^th edition of the WIPO ABC International Excellence Awards will see both a publisher and an initiative recognized for their outstanding leadership and achievements in improving the accessibility of e-books or other digital publications for persons who are blind, have low vision, are dyslexic or have mobility impairments that impact their ability to read the printed word.

Finalists in the publisher category are:

• Book Publishers Association of Alberta (Canada)
• Children's Fun Publishing Co., Ltd. (China)
• Gerbera Ediciones (Argentina)

Shortlisted candidates in the initiative category are:

• Lithuanian Audiosensory Library (Lithuania)
• Round Table on Information Access for People with Print Disabilities (Australia and New Zealand)
• UNICEF Accessible Digital Textbooks Initiative (Finland)

The IPA Innovation in Publishing Award celebrates groups or individuals that implement innovative practices in publishing that can be replicated by others to the benefit of the whole industry.

Shortlist:

1. Publishing 2030 Accelerator
   Co-founders: Jörg Engelstädter (Canon) and Rachel Martin (Elsevier)
   Co-chairs: Michiel Kolman (Elsevier) and Richard Charkin (Mensch)
2. Renew the Book
   Groep Algemene Uitgevers - Dutch Publishers Association
3. Reading Rationales
   MVB GmbH
4. AEJ Academia Editorial Júnior
   Sindicato Nacional dos Editores de Livros

The IPA Champion Award will celebrate an individual who have, during their career, gone above and beyond the norm to help the IPA achieve its goals on behalf of the publishing industry.

The 2024 IPA Prix Voltaire is the headline award of the evening honoring exceptional courage in upholding the freedom to publish. The 2024 IPA Prix Voltaire Shortlist is:

1. Osman Kavala, Turkey
2. Dušan Gojkov, Balkan Literary Herald, Serbia
3. Aslambek Ezhaev, Ummah Publishing, Russia
4. Andrej Januskevic, Andrej Januskevic Publishing, Belarus
5. Samir Mansour, Samir Mansour Bookshop for Printing and Publishing, Palestine