Campaign covered 50 local publishers and 500 English and Arabic titles

In an effort to support local publishing houses and promote children’s literature, the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC), part of the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), has announced the launch of a grant to buy books for children and young adults.

The grant covers books in both Arabic and English from the publishing houses that participate in Al Ain Book Festival. The initiative began with a purchase of 10,927 books from all 50 publishing houses that took part in the 2022 edition of the festival, with the total value of the grant amounting to AED 700,000.

His Excellency Dr. Ali bin Tamim, Chairman of the ALC, said: “In line with our leadership’s vision to promote knowledge and strengthen the publishing sector, supporting publishers in the UAE is a leading strategic objective for the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre, given the industry’s notable role in enriching the local cultural scene and nurturing a love of reading. The grant initiative offered by the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi to purchase children’s books is a reflection of this support, and forms part of a series of initiatives launched by the Department and the ALC to promote the growth and continuity of the publishing sector.”

A total of 500 titles were purchased as part of the grant, 125 of which were in English. The books will be distributed to institutions and government entities in the UAE focussing on children and youth.

The books purchased by the grant were selected based on criteria such as their social values, issue date (no earlier than 2020), and the diversity of topics presented. Their subjects include non-fiction, historical, and fictional stories, as well as scientific and educational books designed to build children’s knowledge and personalities.

The grant is the latest in a series of initiatives launched by DCT Abu Dhabi and the ALC to support publishing houses and publishers. The Department had already rolled out an initiative to exempt publishing houses participating in the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, Al Ain Book Festival, or Al Dhafra Book Festival in 2022 from paying rental fees, in line with the ALC’s strategy to empower publishing houses and support publishers both local and from all over the world.

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