The Media Regulatory Office (MRO) of the Ministry of Culture has announced the launch of the electronic version of the ‘self-follow-up’ media content Programme that supports the publishing sector by giving book distributors the power to approve trading applications in accordance with the terms of use, conditions, and laws of the programme, through an integrated electronic system. The customers can apply for approval through this application, which helps to enhance private sector’s partnership with the government sector in the publishing industry.

The programme helps in evaluation of books through publishing houses, libraries and distributors, directly, thereby helping boost book trading and fostering best practices in the publishing industry. The programme also contributes to enhancing productivity and efficiency, empowering the private sector by streamlining the organisation process and enabling transactions in lesser time and improving customer service.

His Excellency Dr. Rashid Khalfan Al Nuaimi, Executive Director of the Media Regulatory Office, said that the timing of the launch of the electronic version of the programme coincides with the launch of the 31st edition of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, which opened the International Conference on Arab Publishing and Creative Industries. It is poised to help grow the UAE’s publishing and content industry, especially in Arabic.

His Excellency stressed that the digitization of licenses for cultural and creative industries is very important, especially in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, which expedited the digital transformation of the cultural sectors. Digital transformation is imperative to the growth and sustainability of the cultural and creative industries and all entities should support this trend. This has also contributed to the national economy offering resilience to unexpected future problems.

The programme provides a number of services, including regular training workshops and awareness meetings about media content systems and age classification. This helps in providing sufficient information on the methodology of following periodic reviews of the types of books available and introducing the participants to any new terms, conditions, standards and regulatory requirements.

The participants are required to obtain their licenses from the Media Regulation Office to carry out their work, and to participate and register in training workshops related to media content and age-classification standards. This also applies to meetings to raise awareness about the methodology for following up on books included in the programme according to the ministry’s regulations to ensure books are easily circulated and distributed to commercial libraries in the country