Publishers gathered on one platform at Bologna Children's Book

Bodour Al Qasimi expands the presence of «Bubble Hair». On International Women's Day

As Al Qasimi during her opening speech on International Women's Day. From the source

PublicHair, the initiative founded by Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi to promote equality in the field of publishing and remove barriers and professional challenges facing women in this sector, has succeeded in achieving a qualitative leap in its expansion and development of its work mechanisms, as it participated for the first time in a special pavilion in one of the most important international book fairs, during its attendance at the Bologna Children's Book Fair.

Since its launch in 2019, Publishing Hair has organized a series of events, with the aim of enhancing communication and interaction to increase the inclusion of women in the publishing industry, despite working virtually during the Corona pandemic.

Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi, Founder and CEO of Kalimat Group, pledged to scale up the initiative this year, starting with a large pavilion at the Bologna Children's Book Fair, which was achieved with the support of the exhibition's director and member of the Publisher Hair Advisory Board, Elena Bazoli.

The pavilion of the "Publishing Hair" platform at Bologna 2023 was designed as a forum for discussion sessions and speeches, in addition to making deals and meetings, and the platform witnessed, in addition to events and dialogues, an Iftar for networking and networking on the occasion of International Women's Day, organized in partnership with the Canadian publishing house "Kids Can Press".

In her opening speech at the International Women's Day Iftar, Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi stressed that "publishers must proactively include women's voices in their business practices and publications, to promote diversity and inclusion in publishing." "Women still face many obstacles, from bias and sexism to lack of leadership, which is why we, as publishers, must take responsibility for creating platforms and providing opportunities for women to voice, make their voices heard and, most importantly, understandable."

The initiative invited visitors to its booth to answer an online questionnaire to determine the nature of its future activities, which may include updating the "Diversity and Inclusion in the Publishing Industry" guide, a diagnostic toolkit developed in 2020 to support publishing companies to become more diverse and inclusive, in addition to developing mentoring programs, and organizing other events in the publishing sector.

Bodour Al Qasimi:

"Publishers should proactively include women's voices in their business practices and publications to promote diversity and inclusion in publishing."

Achieving equality

PublicHair invites all those interested in joining the initiative's community of publishers, companies, donors, non-profit organizations, and those wishing to provide the necessary support to achieve gender equality in the field of publishing, to visit the link: https://womeninpublishing.org/supporters/