From April 29 to May 5 this year, the 33rd International Book Fair was held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), in which Uzbekistan took part for the first time.
More than 2,000 events were organized as part of the International Book Fair, including a panel session on “Strengthening literary ties between Central Asia and the Arab states”. A responsible employee of the Agency of Information and Mass Communications under the Administration of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan delivered a speech there.
According to the report, in Uzbekistan, there are 532 publishing houses, 1,931 printing enterprises, 682 stores specializing in book sales, and 208 public libraries in addition to school ones. Their number increased 3.5 times compared to 2020, with 89 percent coming from the private sector. In addition to school textbooks, publishing houses produce a variety of literature with a total circulation of 231 million copies, an average of 8,000 titles per year.
In addition, local competitions and workshops on reading development are held annually in Uzbekistan, such as “Reading Week”, “Meeting of Publishers and Authors”, “Young Reader”, “Best Book for Children and Youth”, and the Tashkent Book Festival.
