FollowingIPA’s landmark report From Response to Recovery: The Impact of COVID-19 on the Global Publishing Industry, President Bodour Al Qasimi formed theInternational Sustainable Publishing and Industry Resilience (InSPIRe) Plan Taskforce in early 2021to lead an industry consultation to identify key pandemic-induced challenges facing publishers and promote cooperation on the way forward.

“Publishing is facing an uncertain recovery if our industry doesn’t come together. While developed publishing markets have fared better, our colleagues in emerging publishing markets are facing existential challenges. The global pandemic doesn’t just affect publishers – the livelihoods of millions of publishers, authors, illustrators, printers, distributors, and booksellers around the world are at risk,” said IPA President Bodour Al Qasimi.

The InSPIRe Charter, is one of the first achievements of the Taskforce.Charter signatories have committed to industry-wide cooperation on a forthcoming plan for the post-pandemic future of publishing. By endorsing the Charter, signatories have agreed to ten areas of cooperation targeting the sector’s interactions with policy makers but also building inter-sector dialogue and closing skill gaps.

The InSPIRePlanis unique in its intentional inclusion of a broad spectrum of the publishing ecosystem.

“The publishing industry’s post-pandemic future looks likely to be even more dependent on cooperation, unity, and solidarity. The Inspire Charter is a formal framework for coordinated action so the entire publishing ecosystem can learn and move forward together in these unprecedented times. We want all organizations committed to positively shaping global publishing’s post-pandemic future to join us,” said Al Qasimi.

To date, the following entities have joined the 86 members of the IPA in endorsing the Inspire Charter:

African Publishers Network

Arab Publishers Association

ASEAN Book Publishers Association

Association for the Development ofEducation in Africa

Association of American Literary Agents

Bologna Children’s Book Fair

Book Aid International

Buenos Aires Book Fair

Delhi Book Fair

European and International Booksellers Federation

European Educational Publishers Group

Etats Généraux du Livre en Langue Française

Frankfurt Book Fair

Ghana International Book Fair

Goteborg Book Fair

Grupo Ibero-Americano de Editores

Independent Book Publishers Association

International Association of STM Publishers

International Board on Books for Young People

International Istanbul Book Fair

LIBER

London Book Fair

Nairobi International Book Fair

Nigeria International Book Fair

Pan African Writers Association

PEN International

Rio Int’l Book Fair

Più Libri Più Liberi (Rome Book Fair)

Sao Paulo Int’l Book Fair

Seoul International Book Fair

Sharjah International Book Fair

Tbilisi International Book Festival

Turin Book Fair

UNICEF

U.S. Book Show