This opening session sets the tone for the congress by exploring the motivations that drive those who shape the world of books—publishers, fair organisers, policy leaders, and advocates.
Synthetic content is eroding trust. This session will explore what it means to publish ethically, how publishing can lead by example, and why AI must be held to the same standards of transparency and accountability.
In 2006, Shahla Lahimi became the first IPA Freedom to Publish Prize laureate. This session brings together past laureates to talk about the prize, its impact on them, and what is needed for the future.
Following a sector survey across all continents, the IPA EPF Chair will present key trends, challenges, and successes, followed by a discussion with an international panel of experts.
This session will explore how publishers in three different Asian regions are investing in new technologies in their own way, adapting and adopting innovations even before the rise of AI.
A deep dive into three key topics for educational publishers: AI, government interference (the good and the bad), and examples of campaigns that brought positive change.
What does it mean to be a little language publisher in an age of LLMs? Is AI an opportunity for indigenous stories to travel further or a risk of accelerating their disappearance?
This session explores how stories reflect society, influence young readers, and can shape future generations—encouraging empathy, curiosity, and a broader worldview.
The President of Gallimard Jeunesse shares insights on balancing tradition with innovation, adapting to change, and inspiring new generations of readers globally.
This panel discusses the risk, opportunities,and future of AI.
Authors and publishers share personal journeys of confronting barriers and breaking silences through their work, celebrating diversity, fighting for equity, and embracing inclusion.
A rapid-fire session where regional publishing leaders share the fastest routes to market, practical issues, and top pitfalls for foreign publishers entering Southeast Asia.
This session explores the creative and commercial pathways that bring written works to life across multiple platforms, from film to video games and back again.
This session explores how the Malaysian government and industry players work together to develop the country's book industry in practical and impactful ways.
An inspiring conversation on how publishing can foster identity, inclusion, and collective belonging in an age of rapid transformation through open knowledge and diverse narratives.
A dialogue on how value-based growth can reshape our understanding of sustainability, equity, and planetary well-being, exploring publishing's role in advancing development rooted in care and justice.
This session brings together PEN International and Penguin Random House to confront book bans and censorship, highlighting how partnerships are essential to protect freedom of expression.
A fireside chat that pits an AI booster against a sceptic, exploring the technology's promises and perils in a format where they can disagree agreeably.
Speakers from different countries in Asia discuss the formal and informal restrictions on the freedom to publish and how they handle these challenges in their markets.
How will AI impact accessible publishing? This panel explores improvements in image descriptions, screen readers, and assistive technologies, and the impact of the European Accessibility Act.
In markets across the world, reading for pleasure is in decline. How can we arrest this decline? And what can we learn from countries that are taking action?