35th International Publishers Congress Held Successfully
The 35th International Publishers Congress, which ran from 5-9 July 2026, brought together over 500 delegates from 44 countries and discussed topics such as the future of global publishing, copyright, artificial intelligence, literacy, accessibility, and more.The top three countries represented were Malaysia with 245 attendees, the Philippines with 26 attendees, and India with 24 attendees. The Congress featured 80 speakers and moderators, 24 panel sessions, and 9 keynotes.
Other events connected to the Congress included a Greater Kuala Lumpur Book Tour and a Greater Kuala Lumpur Cultural Tour, and the Pinocchio Exhibition, which ran from 5 to 30 July, courtesy of the Congress partner, the Bologna Children’s Book Fair.
Reflecting on the success of the Congress, IPA Executive Committee member and President of MABOPA, Sheikh Faisal, said, “We have achieved our objectives and saw many of our local players, especially the government agencies, taking advantage of us being the host to showcase how beautifully vibrant and active our book industry in Malaysia is, with a strong working relationship between the industry and the government.”
In her opening speech, IPA President, Gvanta Jobava, said, “When it comes to technology we have artificial intelligence in front of mind but also the skills transition that our workforces will have to go through. On the societal level, we are thinking about how we can continue to be a trusted source in an age of misinformation and fake news. How will we continue to engage readers and maintain literacy, as well as ensuring the trinity of freedoms: the freedom of expression, the freedom to publish and the freedom to read? How can we guarantee sustainable access to knowledge? How will our supply chains evolve to be more innovative and sustainable? How will geopolitical trends, and national policy shifts affect our sector? How will market consolidation — not just in publishing, but in distribution and other areas — affect us? And finally, how will we fight piracy and IP theft?”