Bookworms across Emirates will want to mark November 1 through November 11 on their forward calendars, following the announcement that the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) is set to take its place at Expo Centre Sharjah for another year.
The 36th edition of the event, as with previous years, will bring together hundreds of authors and publishers from around the world, along with distinguished guests to participate in a comprehensive programme of activities that include conferences, reading sessions, panel discussions and lectures.
"Over the course of its three-and-a-half decades, SIBF has become established as the region’s premium platform for the very best in science, literature, art and culture," says Ahmed Al Ameri, Chairman of the Sharjah Book Authority, SBA.
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Read more:
Sharjah International Book Fair draws its biggest crowd to date with 2.3 million visitors
My UAE: A story of success with Sharjah book fair visionary Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri
Ahmed Al Amri on the Sharjah International Book Fair's success
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"The fair was conceived by His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, whose vision has led to a cultural renaissance that has enriched human knowledge, elevated intellect and created a solid foundation on which younger generations can build a better and brighter future."
He says that "since its inception 35 years ago, SIBF has been one of the main pillars for this cultural renaissance, with each edition building on the success of the previous one".
"SIBF has developed into the third largest book fair in the world and is an event that attracts thousands of publishers, authors and illustrators, as well as millions of visitors, from around the world," he adds.
As has been previously announced, the United Kingdom has been chosen as the SIBF ‘Country of Honour’.
To celebrate, a special programme showcasing some of Britain’s most honoured cultural and literary figures will be organised by the SBA in collaboration with the British Council.
"Our ongoing efforts to develop SIBF chime perfectly with Sharjah’s latest achievement, which is its selection as World Book Capital 2019 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation. This title is an international recognition of Sharjah’s pivotal role in the field of culture, knowledge and literature and underscores the fact that the emirate has become the cultural beating heart of the region," the Chairman of SBA said.
The SIBF will be preceded by the seventh edition of the Professional Programme, which will take place on October 30-31 and which is expected to witness the participation of 250 global publishers and industry experts.
The Professional Programme will highlight the most recent developments taking place in the publishing sector and will organise one-on-one matching sessions to facilitate agreement-making between attendees.
SIBF 2017 will also see the fourth edition of the ALA Library Conference, which takes place from November 7-9 and which will feature a host of librarians from the region, the United States and other countries.
The conference offers an array of activities and sessions on a wide range of important topics for archivists working in university, public, school, government, and special libraries.
For more go to www.sibf.com/default.aspx
* Additional reporting The National Staff
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A little about CVRL
Founded in 1985 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL) is a government diagnostic centre that provides testing and research facilities to the UAE and neighbouring countries.
One of its main goals is to provide permanent treatment solutions for veterinary related diseases.
The taxidermy centre was established 12 years ago and is headed by Dr Ulrich Wernery.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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Christopher Celenza,
Reaktion Books
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE results
Lost to Oman by eight runs
Beat Namibia by three wickets
Lost to Oman by 12 runs
Beat Namibia by 43 runs
UAE fixtures
Free admission. All fixtures broadcast live on icc.tv
Tuesday March 15, v PNG at Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Friday March 18, v Nepal at Dubai International Stadium
Saturday March 19, v PNG at Dubai International Stadium
Monday March 21, v Nepal at Dubai International Stadium
