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Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi is a leading advocate for children's and women's issues in the Middle East. She is CEO and co-founder of Kalimat, a book publishing company specialized in publishing children’s books in the Arabic language, and which has produced over 100 publications in the last four years. She is also Chairperson of the Sharjah Investment Development Authority, and has initiated the Heart of Sharjah project, the region's biggest heritage development, and the Al Majaz Waterfront, one of Sharjah's most important recreational destinations. Sheikha Bodour is also President of the Emirates Publishing Association, which represents UAE publishers locally and internationally, developing the country’s publishing industry, and is President of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), a non-profit organization that represents an international network of people from all over the world who are committed to bringing books and children together.

She holds a BA (Hons) from Cambridge, and a MSc in Medical Anthropology from University College London. She is married with two children.