IPA Congress Day 2
| 7 July 2026 (Tuesday) | |
|---|---|
| Time | Event/Session |
| 9:00 | Welcome Remarks by MoC Prashant Pathak, Co-founder, Publishers Without Borders |
| 9:05 | Publishing Intelligence, Sustaining Forward Day 2 Opening Remark: Giovanni Hoepli, Vice President of IPA (Italy) |
| 9:10 |
Keynote: A Traditionalist's Inquiry: Is Literary Depth Fading in the Digital Age?
With the coming of the digital age, reading habits have undergone a profound transformation. The printed page is no longer the sole gateway to knowledge and imagination. As digital platforms foster ever swifter and more abbreviated modes of reading, what is at risk when we encounter works of literature, essays, or philosophical writings? What happens when we merely skim the surface, instead of entering the deeper imaginative, intellectual, and emotional experience offered by the text? Malaysia’s Sasterawan Negara (National Literary Laureate) reflects on these questions and more. Speaker:
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| 9:20 |
Building National Reading Infrastructure: How Malaysia is Rewiring the Book Ecosystem Through Government - Industry Collaboration
This session explores Malaysia’s strategic transformation of books and reading into a form of national infrastructure. It highlights how close collaboration between government, publishers, educators, technology providers, and logistics partners has enabled large-scale, data-driven access to knowledge across the country. Through initiatives such as nationwide digital book ecosystems, transparent voucher delivery systems, and inclusive reading access, Malaysia is positioning publishing as a driver of education, social mobility, and cultural soft power. The presentation also examines the future role of AI, interoperability, and ASEAN collaboration in shaping resilient, inclusive reading societies. Speaker:
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| 9:40 |
Reading for the Future: The Role of Publishers in Closing the Global Literacy Gap
Literacy remains one of the defining challenges of our time. Around the world, millions of children and adults still lack meaningful access to the books, reading environments, and learning support needed to participate fully in education, culture, and society. In this address, Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Education and Book Culture, reflects on the role publishers can play in closing the global literacy gap. Drawing on her work across publishing, reading advocacy, children’s books, and other initiatives, she will explore how the book sector can move beyond producing content to becoming a stronger partner in education, inclusion, and lifelong learning. The session will be followed by a fireside conversation with Emma House, discussing how publishers, governments, and civil society can work together to build stronger reading cultures for the future. Speaker:
| 10:20 - COFFEE BREAK |
| 10:40 |
Belonging | Rewriting Identity, Openness, and the Future of Publishing
An inspiring conversation on how publishing can foster identity, inclusion, and collective belonging in an age of rapid transformation. This session will explore the power of open knowledge, diverse narratives, and participatory storytelling to reshape the cultural commons and democratize the future of books. Speakers:
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| 10:59 - Transition | |
| 11:00 |
Climate | Why We Need Climate Action Now Why are we so slow to respond to climate change? In publishing, part of the answer is a combination of commercial pressures, shrinking attention spans and an over-crowded media landscape. But the UN’s emphasis on information integrity makes publishing not just a commercial player, but also a pillar of democracy and global cooperation. This fireside chat invites us to reflect on how our core professional values — editorial independence, public trust, scientific rigour, and inclusion — can help reduce the gaps between research, public understanding, and policy action. Moderator: Rachel Martin, Senior Global Directo Sustainability, Elsevier (Netherlands) Speaker: Melissa Fleming, UN Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications |
| 11:19 - Transition | |
| 11:20 |
Partnerships | Unbanning the Future: Defending Books, Building Partnerships, and Advancing the SDGs. This powerful session brings together voices from PEN International and Penguin Random House America to confront the rising tide of book bans and censorship worldwide. Framed through the lens of the SDGs, the dialogue will highlight how cross-sector partnerships between publishers, advocates, and global institutions are essential to protect freedom of expression, promote inclusive education, and safeguard cultural diversity. Moderator: James Taylor (IPA) Speakers:
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11:40 |
Q & A Session with Morning Speakers | 12:00 |
SDG Photo Moment |
| LUNCH BREAK | |
| 13:20 |
AI: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly One of the Congress's most anticipated sessions will showcase Nadim Sadek (bestselling author on creativity and AI) and Peter Schoppert (leading voice on AI and copyright) in an unmissable conversation about publishing's AI crossroads. Expect a substantive, generous dialogue between two seasoned publishing minds who've both built tech companies and who understand innovation from the inside. For international publishers wrestling with the industry's most urgent question, this conversation offers something rare: honest, informed perspectives from both sides of the debate, delivered with intellectual depth and real-world credibility. Speakers:
Accessibility's Next Frontier When it comes to accessibility, technology is moving super fast and legislation not so much. How will AI impact accessible publishing? Will there be a significant improvement in image descriptions, screenreader voices, assistive technologies because of AI? Has the European Accessibility Act had a positive impact on the production of accessible titles globally? What’s the next step in improving accessibility for print-disabled readers? These questions and more will be the focus of this important panel. Moderator: Karine Pansa, CEO Grupo Girassol (Brazil) Speakers:
Reading Habits In markets across the world, reading for pleasure is in decline. Studies from numerous countries have shown that reading rates are dropping, while the number of non-readers is increasing. How can we arrest this decline? And what can we learn from countries that are taking action? Moderator: Luis González, Fundacion GSR (Spain) Speakers:
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| 13:55 - Transition | |
| 14:00 |
How to Reserve your Rights (for AI Training and Many Other Uses) – Navigating Jurisdictions, Technologies and Loopholes Before publishers can exercise their rights, and their authors' rights, they must express them. Europe's copyright law suggests that these expressions must be machine-readable to work for text and data mining uses. What is the latest thinking on reserving your rights for AI training? What is working? Not working? This panel bridges practical advice and hard thinking about how our works should circulate in the digital world. Moderator: Catriona Stevenson, Publishers Association (UK) Speakers:
Freedom to Publish: Navigating Regional Red Lines This session will bring speakers from different countries in Asia to discuss the formal and informal restrictions on the freedom to publish and how they handle that in their publishing markets. Moderator: Jaeho Kang, Korean Publishers Association (Korea) Speakers:
Beyond the Booth: How Book Fairs Become Year-Round Growth Engines Instead of a few days of sales, book fairs can be the launchpad for a year-round growth flywheel. In 15 minutes, this session breaks down how publishers and fair organisers can turn event energy into sustained discovery, reader retention, community-building, and measurable commercial outcomes. Practical takeaways focus on what publishers can do before, during, and after fairs to maximise ROI. Speaker: Yuvraj Malik, National Book Trust (India) Inside the Institutional Buyer: What Large School Networks Want From Publishers (Lessons from Indonesia) What makes a school network say ‘yes’ to a publisher—and what makes content fail after purchase? This session gives publishers an inside view of institutional decision-making, including how large school networks evaluate content, price, evidence, implementation burden, and long-term value. Drawing lessons from Indonesia, it offers practical insights on product-market fit for schools, adoption at scale, and what drives renewal Speaker: Dr. Stephanie Riady, SPH Group (Indonesia) |
| 14:30 - COFFEE BREAK | |
| 14:45 |
Translation in the Age of AI: Risks, Opportunities, and the Future. This fireside chat features a translator, a publisher involved in translation, and a representative from an AI book translation platform. They will discuss how artificial intelligence is transforming the field of translation. The conversation will address concerns such as bias, the potential loss of nuance, and the dangers of overreliance on technology. Additionally, they will explore the opportunities AI presents for promoting literature from less widely spoken languages without having to go through English. The discussion will consider whether AI can serve as a tool for enhancing linguistic diversity instead of posing a threat to it. Moderator: Pauline Fan, Author / Translator (Malaysia) Speakers:
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| 15:20 - Transition | |
| 15:25 |
Keynote: Why this is the Best Time in Publishing since Gutenberg Invented the Printing Press
Over the last 30 years book publishing has had a very successful digital transformation and the data show there is no end in sight: it’s the best and perhaps the most important time in publishing…ever! Speaker:
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| 16:00 - Transition | |
| 16:01 | Kuala Lumpur Declaration |
| 16:15 - Transition | |
| 16:16 | Handover to 36ᵗʰ International Publishers Congress Host |
| 16:30 | Closing by MoC, Gala Dinner starts at 19:30 |