Rawan Al-Dabbas (panel discussion 4) is the regional director of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), MENA. Rawan leads IFPI’s work across the region to promote the value of recorded music, expand its commercial uses, and campaign for the rights of record producers. Prior to that, Rawan, a lawyer by trade, spent seven years heading the Copyright and International Relations department at the Emirates Publishers Association. There, she enabled the Association’s interaction with local, regional, and international stakeholders, including government bodies, on a range of issues pertinent to the UAE’s publishing industry.

Rawan has been key at enhancing the copyright legal framework for publishers in the UAE, facilitating discussions between stakeholders—including the UAE Ministry of Economy—in order to establish the region’s first copyright management organization, ERRA (The Emirates Reprographic Rights Management Association).