UAE Board on Books for Young People

The UAE Board on Books for Young People (UAEBBY) is the national section of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), which was founded in Zurich, Switzerland in 1953.



UAEBBY officially came into being on 1 January 2010, following IBBY’s approval of the UAE as a member, which was a direct result of the efforts of Her Excellency Sheikha Bodour Bint Sultan Al Qasimi, President of the Emirates Publishers Association, and Founder and CEO of Kalimat Publishing House.



As a non-profit, non-governmental organization, UAEBBY aims to act as a bridge to facilitate communication and information exchange with establishments and institutions concerned with children's books, to develop and promote children's literature and artistic works, and to exchange skills with authors and illustrators.



The organization is also responsible for organizing contests and conferences on children’s books, facilitating access to children's books, especially in remote areas of the UAE, promoting authorship and production of children’s books in the UAE, developing public libraries for children throughout the country, encouraging translation of children's books from and into Arabic, and helping to raise the bar for children's books in the UAE to international levels.

The UAE Board on Books for Young People (UAEBBY) is the national section of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), which was founded in Zurich, Switzerland in 1953.