EPA calls on members to allocate publication to the public library in South Sinai

CAIRO – 2 July 2020: The Egyptian Publishers Association, headed by Said Abdo, called on all member publishing houses to provide some publications for a non-profit public library in Saint Catherine, South Sinai.

This comes among the many cultural activities carried out as part of the Rahala Sustainable Development initiative.

The Association said in a statement, "We received a request to participate in a call for donation for the publishing houses in order to establish a non-profit public library in South Sinai's Saint Catherine City. Those who wish to participate must apply to the Egyptian Publishers Association."

Said Abdo, head of the Egyptian Publishers Union, said that the publishing industry has suffered great losses during the past 3 months, that is, since the spread of the novel coronavirus, which caused the closure of 75 percent of the Egyptian publishing houses.

Abdo further explained in press statements that the size of the loss suffered by publishers as a result of the cancellation of international book fairs exceeds $20 million, which greatly affected the work of thousands of Egyptians.

According to Abdo, the Ministry of Youth and Sports has allocated a budget to support publishers and purchase books for the ministry's libraries, and the Ministry of Education is supposed to allocate a budget for buying books from publishers. This is usually included in school fees parents pay every year. However, the purchase has been stalled since the 2011 events.