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SHARJAH INTERNATIONAL BOOK FAIR
SHARJAH, WORLD BOOK CAPITAL FOR 2019, BY UNESCO
Sharjah is the third largest emirates in the UAE, with 1.5 million people living in peace and harmony from nearly 160 nationalities. It has become a major cultural hub, as it attracts huge crowds to its literary festivals. The Sharjah International Book Fair has grown to become one of the largest book fairs in the world, with 1,500 publishers and thousands of delegates attending. In addition, the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival holds some 2,000 events every year. It really feels good to be appreciated, and I am proud to write here that on June 26, 2017, Sharjah achieved global recognition, as it was named as the World Book Capital 2019 by United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). UNESCO has described Sharjah’s bid to be host city as "very innovative, comprehensive with a communityfocused activity program containing creative proposals to engage the very large migrant population.” With the slogan "Read—You Are in Sharjah,” the program focuses on six themes: inclusivity, reading, heritage, outreach, publishing, and children. These worldwide recognitions generate positive energy and promote reading as a culture. As Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, president of the Emirates Publishers Association and head of Sharjah’s World Book Capital Organizing Committee stated, "We are so proud to have been recognized on a global scale for literary excellence and of [sic] having our name put on the same platform with some of the world’s frontrunners in the world of books and reading.”