The IPA is governed by the General Assembly; the Executive Committee; the President and Vice-President; the Treasurer; and is administered by the Geneva-based Secretariat. IPA governance is based on a formal set of Statutes, and the three permanent Committees, which function according to agreed Guidelines.

Some IPA programs are made possible through the generous support of partners and sponsors whose values do not conflict with our core values and objectives. Selection of partners and sponsors is subject to due diligence processes overseen by the IPA’s Executive Committee to ensure the impartiality of the Association and its continued commitment to the values it upholds.

General Assembly

The General Assembly is the supreme decision-making body of the Association, and is convened by the President at least once a year, usually during the Frankfurt Book Fair.

The General Assembly consists of Delegates from IPA's Full Members, who are normally appointed for a term of three years. IPA Affiliate and Associate Members may send non-voting observers to the meetings of the General Assembly.

The General Assembly defines the general strategy of the Association and elects the Directors serving on the Executive Committee, as well as other unpaid Officers, including the chairpersons of any working committee.

Committees

A number of committees, comprising representatives of IPA members, shape and steer the key policy issues of IPA.
There are three Permanent Committees, which work according to guidelines adopted by the General Assembly in April 2016.
They are:

Freedom to Publish Committee Guidelines Copyright Committee Guidelines Membership Committee Guidelines

Other member-led bodies are the Inclusive Publishing and Literacy Committee, the Educational Publishers Forum (Guidelines) and the Copyright Policy Working Group.

The General Assembly is the supreme decision-making body of the Association, and is convened by the President at least once a year, usually during the Frankfurt Book Fair.

The General Assembly consists of Delegates from IPA's Full Members, who are normally appointed for a term of three years. IPA Affiliate and Associate Members may send non-voting observers to the meetings of the General Assembly.

The General Assembly defines the general strategy of the Association and elects the Directors serving on the Executive Committee, as well as other unpaid Officers, including the chairpersons of any working committee.

Introduction

IPA is the international umbrella organisation of national publishers associations. It is essentially administered by the General Assembly; the Executive Committee; the President, and Vice-President; a Treasurer; and the Geneva-based Secretariat. IPA governance is based on a formal set of Statutes, and the three Permanent Committees that function according to agreed Guidelines (see Committees below). For more, please read through the pages of this sub-section.

General Assembly

The General Assembly is the supreme body of the Association, and is convened by the President at least once a year, usually during the Frankfurt Book Fair.

The General Assembly consists of Delegates from IPA's Regular Members, who are normally appointed for a term of three years. IPA Affiliate and Associate Members may send non-voting observers to the meetings of the General Assembly.

The General Assembly defines the general strategy of the Association and elects the Directors serving on the Executive Committee, as well as other unpaid Officers, including the chairpersons of any working committee.

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee is the "board" of the Association and manages its activities between General Assemblies. The Executive Committee is convened by the President at least twice a year. It is composed of the President, and 15 Directors elected by the General Assembly. The Statutes ensure that at least two thirds of the Executive Committee Directors are practising publishers, and that all geographic regions are represented.

President & Vice-President

IPA's current President is Richard Charkin (Bloomsbury, UK). The General Assembly elects one Vice-President for a two-year term, to support the President in her/his work. At the end of her/his term s/he becomes automatically the President for another two-year term. IPA's current Vice-President is Michiel Kolman (Elsevier, Netherlands).

Secretary General

The Secretary General is appointed by the Executive Committee. S/He is responsible for the administration of the association, and directs the Secretariat. In accordance with the instructions given by the President and/or the Executive Committee, the Secretary General acts as IPA's spokesperson at meetings and in dealings with external organisations. S/He organises and undertakes the representational and liaison activities necessary for securing support for and the implementation of the IPA's policies and the achievement and recognition of its objectives.

IPA's current Secretary General is José Borghino who is assisted by Project and Office Manager in charge of the projects coordination, communication and a smooth office running.

Committees

Several committees shape and steer the key policy issues of IPA. The permanent committees are the Copyright Committee, Freedom to Publish Committee, and the Membership Committee, which work according to guidelines adopted by the General Assembly. In addition, there are working committees for Literacy and Book Industry Policy.

In addition, IPA and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) jointly set up a Steering Group, which used to meet three times a year in order to deal with the publishers-librarians issues. For more, click here.

For further information on IPA's structure and day-to-day work, please contact the IPA Secretariat.