IPA Senior Leadership attends IFLA WLIC and meets with the new President of the Korean Publishers Association

IPA President, Gvantsa Jobava, and Secretary General José Borghino both attended the 90th World Library and Information Congress (WLIC) of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) which was held in Busan, South Korea on 10-13 August. Jobava met with IFLA's current President, Leslie Weir from Canada, and President-elect, Te Paea Paringatai from New Zealand, as well as other senior IFLA Board members and discussed how to ensure that IPA and IFLA work together more closely, especially when it comes to Freedom of Expression/Freedom to Publish issues. Having collaborated successively (along with the booksellers association EIBF) on the 'Trinity of Freedoms' initiative, it is logical that the two organisations continue to chart a closer course in the near future.

After Busan, Jobava and Borghino, visited Seoul to meet the newly elected President of the Korean Publishers Association, Mr Taeheon Kim and his team. They discussed KPA's plans for nominating new members to the IPA's Executive, Freedom to Publish and Copyright Committees, which will be announced and voted upon in the lead up to the IPA's General Assembly on 24 November 2026. They also spoke about how best to nurture the close relationship between IPA and KPA, at this critical moment when authorities around the world are considering legislating around copyright, TDM and AI.