RIYADH: The Riyadh International Book Fair, the most awaited literary event in the capital, opens here Wednesday with the aim of facilitating and promoting exchanges between authors, publishers, those professionally concerned with books, and those who love reading.
The annual fair will be held under the patronage of King Salman, and is organized by the Ministry of Culture and Information (MoCI) at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center (RICEC) from March 8-18.
It is set to provide a cultural bridge between the Arab and wider worlds, and a networking platform for publishers, writers, scholars and academic institutions.
Culture and Information Minister Adel Al-Toraifi thanked King Salman for patronizing the 10-day fair.
The important cultural event, which attracts thousands of visitors daily, is set to witness the participation of as many as 550 local, Arab and international publishing houses, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Monday.
MoCI official Abdul Rahman Al-Assem said: “The exhibition this year will witness a strong presence of foreign publishing houses, which shows its importance and places it on the map of world exhibitions.”
The fair this year involves more publishing houses but fewer government authorities and corporations, he added.
“We have laid plans to evaluate the publishing houses that participate based on strict standards like sold books and the number of visitors frequenting them,” said Al-Assem, a member of the organizing committee. “These will be evaluated to see the extent of their participation in the coming years.”
Malaysia is the guest-of-honor country at this year’s event, which will have a diverse program and activities targeting different categories of visitors, including children and youths.
Al-Toraifi said: “Choosing Malaysia as the guest of honor is consistent with the distinctive ties between the two countries in political, economic, cultural and tourism fields.”
The book fair, which started over a decade ago, displays many books on Islam, Arab culture, history, medicine, law, science, technology, mass media and communication, a well as biographical accounts, fiction and novels available in popular languages including Arabic, English, French, Turkish, Urdu and Spanish.
Riyadh International Book Fair 2017 begins Wednesday
Riyadh International Book Fair 2017 begins Wednesday
Riyadh workshop focuses on Yemen capacity building
RIYADH: The Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen is hosting a three-day capacity-building workshop in Riyadh as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen Yemeni institutional capacities.
The workshop is organized in cooperation with the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.
It includes 10 sessions aimed at transferring expertise in zakat and customs and developing infrastructure at border crossings, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Monday.
Participants include representatives from all three organizations, as well as officials from Yemen’s Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, Ministry of Finance, and Yemeni tax and customs authorities.
The workshop is part of the program’s continued efforts to support Yemen by enhancing institutional and technical capacities and strengthening expertise in key financial and economic sectors.
The program has launched various projects and initiatives to strengthen institutional, technical, and community capacities, enabling government institutions to identify needs, assess capabilities, and deliver services efficiently.
The workshop builds on broader capacity-building efforts, including a comprehensive program launched in mid-2021 to strengthen the capabilities of Yemen’s ministries of planning and finance.
It also follows a workshop held in November 2022 on developing Yemeni institutional capacities that brought together eight international organizations and UN bodies.
