During the Cabinet meeting held today, chaired by Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, at the government headquarters in the New Administrative Capital, Dr. Ahmed Fouad Henu, the Minister of Culture, presented the statistical report on the initiatives and events of the Ministry of Culture for the year 2025. In his report, the minister addressed several events that have taken place since the beginning of 2025 to date, including the launch of the first phase of the "Gift of a Million Books" initiative, the outcomes of the Cairo International Book Fair 2025, the statistical report on the "Book" application, the outcomes of the Egyptian Cultural Days in Qatar, and the "Day of Culture" to honour the creators of identity 2025. Regarding the launch of the first phase of the "Gift of a Million Books" initiative, the Minister of Culture clarified that the ministry launched this initiative on January 23, 2025, coinciding with the opening of the Cairo International Book Fair, with the aim of spreading culture and enhancing knowledge awareness. The total number of donated books in the first phase amounted to approximately 268,793 books, benefiting several entities such as the Ministries of: Education and Technical Education, Higher Education and Scientific Research, Youth and Sports, and Social Solidarity, as well as Al-Azhar University, the Egyptian Church, and the Journalists' Syndicate. Concerning the outcomes of the Cairo International Book Fair 2025, the minister noted that the number of visitors in this edition reached 5,547,970, with the number of participating publishing houses at 1,345. The fair also witnessed the participation of 80 countries, with the minister reviewing statistics related to the number of pavilions from those countries and their participation features. Dr. Ahmed Fouad Henu added that the number of cultural and artistic events during the fair reached 600, with 3,000 participants. The total revenue amounted to 953,792,953 Egyptian pounds, while the dollar return from international participation exceeded 1,054,000 US dollars. The Egyptian General Book Organisation achieved sales worth 3,189,320 Egyptian pounds. The minister confirmed that the indicators for the 2025 edition of the Cairo International Book Fair showed improvement compared to the previous edition in 2024, in terms of an increase in the number of publishing houses, countries, events, exhibitors, visitors, and participating institutions, as well as total revenues and dollar returns. The Minister of Culture stated: "This reflects the growing interest in knowledge and culture, and the success of the fair in attracting new publishing houses and increasing the number of participating countries, which confirms its position as one of the largest book fairs globally. The increase in revenues and financial returns also indicates economic growth in the cultural sector in Egypt." Dr. Ahmed Fouad Henu then moved on to review the statistical report regarding the "Book" application, explaining that the total number of available books exceeded 2,000, covering various specialisations including literature and novels, history and philosophy, sciences and knowledge, biographies, and other diverse books. He added that the number of downloads of the application exceeded 500,000, with the number of active users monthly reaching 100,000, while the number of books read monthly stood at 1.2 million. The minister confirmed that the application includes many features, including the ability to read offline and a smart search feature that allows users to easily find information within books or online, noting that the application is free and easily available for download for Android users. He stated: "The 'Book' application has achieved significant success in spreading knowledge and enhancing digital reading, reflecting the role of technology in facilitating access to culture. With ongoing development and the addition of more features, it is expected to become one of the most prominent digital cultural platforms in the Arab world." Regarding the outcomes of the Egyptian Cultural Days in Qatar, the Minister of Culture explained that the cultural events witnessed a wide attendance from the Qatari audience and the resident Arab communities, with the number of visitors exceeding 45,000 during the four days of events, reflecting a strong interest in Egyptian culture and arts. He added: "The diverse events included an exhibition of traditional crafts, visual arts and Arabic calligraphy exhibitions, workshops on heritage arts, musical and singing performances, an opening ceremony, a closing ceremony, a religious chanting evening, and other shows and activities." On the "Day of Culture" to honour the creators of identity 2025, the minister indicated that the Ministry of Culture launched the first edition of the "Day of Culture" celebration in January 2025, which is an annual tradition aimed at honouring cultural and creative figures who have impacted the Egyptian cultural scene throughout the year, while commemorating the late creators in appreciation of their contributions. The total number of honourees reached 70, including 32 deceased individuals.