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Bodour Al Qasimi calls on Italian publishers to cooperate on building industry resilience

ROME, 7th December, 2021 (WAM) — Continuing her in-person assessments of pandemic-hit publishing markets worldwide, Bodour Al Qasimi, President of the International Publishers Association (IPA), was in Rome to meet with members of the Italian Publishers Association.

While there, she learned more about their challenges and offered an overview of the IPA initiatives designed to empower global industry stakeholders, putting them on a planned and collaborative path to post-COVID recovery.

Bodour's visit began with a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Piu libri piu liberi Book Fair (National Fair of Small and Medium Publishing) led by the Italian Minister of Cultural Affairs, Dario Franceschini, followed by a tour of the book fair, which runs from 4th to 8th December in Rome. It is the first Italian fair dedicated exclusively to independent publishing and approximately 500 publishers from all over Italy convene there each year to share news of their latest catalogues with the public.

In her meeting with the Italian publishers, she took the opportunity to hear from them about the on-ground challenges the pandemic has presented, and to learn about their plans for the future. Bodour commended the Italian publishing community for their united efforts, which boosted sales of trade titles this year by almost 16.3 percent compared to 2020.

She noted that challenges remain despite these positive signs, and asserted that collaborative action will be key to rebuilding publishing businesses and the industry as a whole. She called on the meeting’s attendees to build resilience by working together adding that this was the inspiration behind the IPA’s recently launched International Sustainable Publishing and Industry Resilience (InSPIRe) Plan.

This plan has been joined by the Federation of the European Publishers along with 50 other organisations. Bodour said that she looks forward to more Italian publishers and industry stakeholders endorsing the Inspire Plan.

Strategies like this are crucial in taking a solidarity driven approach to addressing common sectoral challenges such as the recent supply chain crisis and the emergence of the new COVID variant, Omicron, she added.

The IPA President’s trip to Italy follows visits to other publishing capitals including Greece, the UAE, Spain, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Turkey, Egypt, Kenya, Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Georgia earlier this year. During these visits she has been assessing the challenges of pandemic-hit publishing markets and sharing the IPA’s plans to help bring global publishing back to full strength.

On the side-lines of her meetings, Bodour Al Qasimi also took the opportunity to tour the historic Biblioteca Angelica – a public library in Rome established in 1604, which boasts a collection of 200,000 works in Italian literature, theatre and literary criticism and other priceless works.

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Emirates

Intermobility Expo 2023 Kicks Off with Grand Opening by H.E. Mattar Al Tayer

Informa Connect, the global leader for events in the Middle East region has successfully
concluded the day one of the most awaited events of its calendar, the Intermobility Expo
2023 started on 21 st November at World Trade Center, Dubai.
The 22 nd edition of the Intermobility Expo 2023, which was known as the Gulf Traffic, the
largest Intelligent Transport and Future Mobility Summit of the Middle East, Turkey, and
Africa was officially launched by H.E. Mattar Al Tayer, Director General and Chairman of
the Board of Executive Directors at the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), at an exciting
opening ceremony in the presence of industrial experts and government delegates.
On day one of the largest transport expo, key players in the Middle Easts transport industry
came together to discuss how new technological advancements that can be leveraged to
address road hazards and enhance safety, which is a critical factor in managing dynamic cities
in the GCC and beyond. Enriching discussions on topics like Driving Change: Governments
Role in Mobility, underscoring the vital influence of the government in molding the
trajectory of mobility, saw enhanced participation from the attendees.
H.E. Sheikh Nasser Majid Al Qasimi, Assistant Undersecretary of the Infrastructure
and Transport Regulation Sector at the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, also
graced the occasion with his esteemed presence and commended the UAEs unwavering
dedication to reimagining transportation. He highlights, “;The country envisions a smart and
interconnected transport system, integrating advanced technologies, autonomous vehicles,
smart infrastructure, and a strong emphasis on green mobility, as showcased by the Global
Market for Electric Vehicles initiative. Recognizing the strategic importance of an integrated
transport system for economic growth, social harmony, and environmental sustainability, the
UAE stands as a global leader in adopting ambitious initiatives.”

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Emirates

Dulsco Group and clients root for climate change action in mangrove tree plantation drive

Dulsco Group has reinforced its commitment to spearheading
and supporting environmental initiatives by bringing together 100 team members from its
portfolio of businesses comprising Dulsco Environment, Dulsco People, Parisima and
Advance Global Recruitment, and corporate clients like BRF, ENOC Link and Fischer to
plant 300 mangrove trees to help in the fight against climate change.
Part of Dulsco Group’s sustainability agenda in the run up to COP28, the event was held to
support the UAE National Carbon Sequestration Project, which Dulsco proudly signed up for
in 2023. The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment project aims to plant 100 million
new mangrove trees across the country by 2030.

Each participant in the Dulsco drive planted three trees at Jebel Ali Wildlife Sanctuary, run
by the Emirates Marine Environmental Group (EMEG). And, thanks to new technology and
virtual reality, the trees’ progress and contribution to carbon savings can be monitored
through the EcoMatcher app, which promotes transparency and traceability in tree planting.

Mangrove trees play a key role in conservation, by stabilising and protecting coastlines,
preventing erosion, supporting wildlife within the ecosystem and serving as a habitat for
thousands of species. They also reduce harmful greenhouse gases by isolating up to 13.6
kg of carbon each year. This means that the 300 trees planted on 16 November – and the
120 planted by Dulsco last year – will collectively capture 5,712 kg of carbon dioxide
annually.

The UAE is currently home to 60 million mangrove trees that span 183 sq km and capture
43,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually. An additional 100 million trees will mean
115,000 tons of CO2 will be sequestered every year.

John Grainger, Chief Operating Officer at Dulsco Environment, said: “As a leading
force in environmental solutions, Dulsco is proud to support initiatives that preserve and
enhance our planet. Following our first mangrove tree planting initiative with our
employees last year, we made this year’s event bigger and better by bringing together our
valued team members and clients across our businesses as one, reinforcing our joint
commitment to creating a better future for our people and the world we live in.

“The EMEG does a wonderful job in protecting marine life at Jebel Ali, and we are delighted
to play our part in enhancing the sanctuary’s natural eco-system and biodiversity.”

Dulsco’s tree planting initiative also included a beach clean-up drive that resulted in
collecting 1,246 kilos of waste, in line with the company’s continued commitment to
protecting the environment and encouraging more green thinking among team members, key
stakeholders and the public.

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Emirates

UAE President issues federal decree appointing Under- Secretary of the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, For Emiratisation

His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahya ,

the President of UAE, issued a Federal
Decree appointing H.E. Aisha Mohamed Ahmed Belharfia, as Under-
Secretary of the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, For
Emiratisation. Belharfia served previously as Acting Under-Secretary for Emiratisation
Affairs and Assistant Under-Secretary for Labour Affairs at MOHRE.
She also taken responsibilities related to Labour offices and licenses,
and contributed to the development of laws and legislation regulating
the Labour sector. Belharfia launched various projects and initiatives
aimed at raising the efficiency of the Labour market.

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