The Centre held a meeting on 18 April with a delegation from the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), in cooperation with the Tamer Institute for Community Education. The meeting gave members the opportunity to hear about IBBY’s international activities, and for each person to share their experiences in the field of books and reading for children and youth.
The delegation included Jihan Al-Hilo, the President of IBBY (Palestine), Ahmad Rida Khair Al-Din, the current President of the Board (Malaysia), Patsy Aldana, former President of the Board (Canada), and Liz Page, Executive Director of IBBY (Switzerland). Al-Hilo highlighted the importance of specialised books for children in strengthening a love of reading among young people, as well as the important role that cultural institutions and public libraries play in disseminating knowledge and preserving cultural identities. She said that books open the doors of hope, letting in creative ideas that can help children discover ways to face challenges and crises.