The Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC), part of the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), has opened registration for its ‘Spotlight on Rights’ grants programme at the 32nd Abu Dhabi International Book Fair (ADIBF), held from 22 to 28 May at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC).

‘Spotlight on Rights’ provides grants to publishers participating in ADIBF who wish to buy translation copyrights or obtain the rights to convert books into audiobooks or e-books. This programme supports the Centre’s wider efforts to translate content from and into Arabic, and to convert printed books into digital e-books and audiobooks. The initiative also seeks to foster greater cooperation between Arab and international publishers and provide the world’s best literary content to Arab readers in the region.

Launched in 2009, ‘Spotlight on Rights’ has published more than 1,030 books with over 140 publishers to date, across various categories including children's books, science, history and social sciences. This has enriched the Arabic library with books translated from multiple international languages. In 2022, ADIBF received applications from 122 publishing houses in 12 different countries, with a total of 135 grants approved.

H.E. Saeed Hamdan Al Tunaiji, Executive Director of the ALC and Director of the ADIBF, said: “‘Spotlight on Rights’ is an important  ADIBF initiative which not only contributes to the development of the regional publishing industry, but promotes respect for intellectual property rights in the Arab world. The UAE is a pioneer in enacting and implementing legislation that protects these rights. The programme has played a key role in encouraging the translation movement and enriching Arabic content in all its forms, keeping pace with the rapid technical development of the publishing industry worldwide.”

Publishers taking part in ADIBF can register and submit applications for the Spotlight on Rights programme at www.adbookfair.com from 21 May to 10 June 2023.