Culture Minister Ghassan Salama announced the unification of book fairs in Lebanon, pointing out that “this step constitutes a basic condition for confronting the challenges facing the book sector.” Salama’s words came during the press conference held at the National Library - Sanayeh, to launch the activities of the Beirut International Arab Book Fair in its 67th session, which will begin on the ninth of October and continue until the eighteenth under the patronage of Prime Minister Dr. Nawaf Salam. Safety The Minister of Culture began his speech by presenting the reality of books and reading, saying: “Books, and reading, are not in the best condition. Technological developments in recent years have led to a radical transition from traditional reading, that is, long, focused, paper-based reading, to reading of another kind, which is short, interrupted, and digitized reading.” He added: "Therefore, it is wrong to say that reading is in decline. Rather, it is a decline in the type of reading we are accustomed to, that is, long, focused, and paper-based reading. This new type of reading indicates a shift in the ability of the new generation to concentrate. There is an ability among new generations to focus on a book, text, or idea, but the situation of books in general is not good in the world." He continued: "In Lebanon, the situation is not at its best, because in addition to these transformations in the world, there are characteristics of the Lebanese book that put it in front of real challenges, most notably the transition to intermittent and digital reading. There are also special challenges in Lebanon, including the financial collapse that has caused the people to lose part of their purchasing ability to purchase books, and this matter began in 2019 and continues to this day." He added: "Also, there is the ease of piracy that affects publishers and writers, which is a crime, in addition to the small size of the market in Lebanon, which needs marketing." He said: “There is no doubt that the Lebanese purchasing power is not proportional to the size of the internal market, but the ability to publish in Lebanon is enormous. Therefore, we need external markets, and this means competition, and it also means that there is not enough welcome in some countries.” He added: “The Ministry of Culture is aware of this matter and recognizes it, and is trying to address it to the best of its ability. We are working to digitize the National Library and its contents. We are also currently working to enhance the status of books in about 57 libraries in various Lebanese regions, based on a donation that was received. We will begin working on these libraries to renew their status and contents, after we studied the status of each of them separately to understand their needs.” He continued: “We are also working with the Ministry of Justice to prosecute piracy, as it is a crime, and apply the law to it. We are also working to strengthen the Lebanese presence in book fairs outside Lebanon, because the decline of this presence harms the Lebanese book and the image of Lebanon.” He stressed "the importance of creating one book fair," saying: "For all these reasons, we are aware of the state of the book today and we are working to address this matter as much as possible. Therefore, we thought that it was unnatural, and on top of all these challenges that I mentioned, for Lebanon to have more than one book fair. Accordingly, the Ministry worked to unify the book fairs, and I am happy that today we will hear a decision to unify them." He added: "The Arab Cultural Club and the Publishers' Union, without which there cannot be a book, have come together, along with the French party, which was an integral part of the book fair. All of these parties have come together towards a unified book fair. This is a precondition for addressing the great challenges faced by writers. Therefore, I welcome you to the National Library." He congratulated the book curators in Lebanon for “uniting their efforts in a unified exhibition.” With my contemporary For her part, President of the Arab Cultural Club, Salwa Siniora Baasiri, announced the launch of the activities of the “Beirut Arab International Book Fair” in its 67th session, extending from October 9 to 18, 2026 at the “Seaside” Center - Beirut’s new waterfront, extending her thanks and gratitude to the Minister of Culture for “making the headquarters of the National Library, with all its symbolism and antiquity, a welcoming space for holding the conference.” She noted the history of the library, whose establishment dates back to the year 1921 in conjunction with the declaration of the State of Greater Lebanon in 1920, and today it embraces an activity that constitutes a continuation of the first initiative taken to organize the book fair in Lebanon and the Arab world since the year 1956. She also thanked "all the publishing houses participating in the exhibition and their curators, as well as the various media outlets for responding to the invitation to accompany the launch of the exhibition's activities, because hosting this annual festival is a cultural act in itself." She stressed that "holding the exhibition in light of the difficult circumstances that Lebanon and the region are experiencing represents a message of steadfastness and continuity," stressing that "culture is not a luxury, but rather an urgent need to activate awareness and the language of dialogue, and that Beirut will remain resistant to retreat and a beacon of culture." She said: “The exhibition, in its restored form, which brings together the Arab Cultural Club and the Syndicate of the Publishers’ Union in Lebanon, to be jointly responsible for holding the exhibition, sends a clear signal of the importance of concerted and integrated efforts to serve the writer, publisher, and reader.” She added: “This session witnesses a wide participation of more than 163 publishing houses (including 23 Arab ones), and is characterized by strengthening the Arab and international dimension through activities organized in cooperation with the Sheikh Zayed Chair at the American University of Beirut and the French Cultural Institute. The cultural program also includes more than 95 seminars and dialogue sessions with the participation of about 280 intellectual and literary figures, in addition to celebrating prominent intellectual and artistic figures such as Ghassan Tueni, Subhi Al-Saleh, Amin Al-Rihani, Ahmed Kaabour and Shusho, allocating spaces for youth and emerging women and for the graphic arts wing and writing industries, with a well-deserved tribute to Beirut under the title “They Said in Beirut.” Abdul Haq In turn, the head of the Publishers Union in Lebanon, Nabil Abdel Haq, confirmed that “the Beirut Arab International Book Fair 2026, scheduled between October 9 and 18, constitutes a step towards unifying efforts between the Arab Cultural Club and the Publishers Union, and enhancing cooperation and partnership to support the publishing sector.” He stressed "the importance of the book as a memory for society and a bridge between the past and the present," stressing that "publishers will continue to work and publish books despite the economic and professional difficulties that Lebanon and the region are going through, while emphasizing the role of the exhibition in establishing Beirut as a book city and a forum for culture." French Institute Director of the French Cultural Institute, Christophe Musitelli, announced the Francophone Literature Program in the heart of the Beirut Book Fair and in various parts of Lebanon. He said: “The Beirut Books 2026 festival, organized by the French Institute in Lebanon, returns for its fourth session, and this year it falls within the activities of the Beirut Book Fair, which will bring together for the first time, and at the initiative of the Minister of Culture, Francophone and Arab publishing houses in one space. The French Institute wanted to keep pace with this ambition aimed at consolidating Beirut’s role as a regional capital for books and publishing.” He added: “The main events will be held at the Seaside Arena, with the participation of more than 40 male and female writers and artists from 9 countries, as part of a program that includes literary meetings, readings, dialogues, exhibitions and musical performances, in Arabic, French and English. A number of Lebanese and international names are participating in the festival, including Jumana Haddad, Alexandre Najjar, Dominique Eddy, Hala Mughniyeh, Sharif Majdalani and others.” He continued: "The program also includes a series of activities in various Lebanese regions, in cooperation with branches of the French Institute, in addition to activities dedicated to students and the public, dealing with literature, music, translation, arts, and women's issues. The fourth session comes within the Mediterranean Season program."