IFLA’s Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Regional Division Committee will meet in person on 5-6 November in Sharjah, UAE, just ahead of the Sharjah International Library Conference organised by the American Library Association. This will be an opportunity to finalise their action plan, with the overall goal of strengthening the library field in the region.

The MENA Regional Division Committee is in its second term, having been formed in 2021 as part of IFLA’s governance review. This focused strongly on the importance of putting a stronger emphasis on building IFLA at the regional level, in order to develop actions and solutions that respond best to members’ needs.

This will be the first long meeting of the Committee in person, and comes at a time that it is developing its own action plan for the coming two years. It should be an opportunity not just to build connections, but to use its members’ shared experience and insight in order to identify the most pressing priorities for its work.

The meeting itself is made possible by a grant from Stichting IFLA Global Libraries, and benefits from the support of the Sharjah Book Authority and the Emirates Library and Information Association. Through this, we have also made it easier for many Committee members also to attend the 10th Sharjah International Library Conference, organised by the American Library Association.