Jeddah (UNA) - The Assistant Director-General of the Union of News Agencies of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (UNA), Zayed Abdullah, praised the generous patronage of the first virtual media forum of the Union, entitled: (The Role of News Agencies in Supporting Efforts to Confront the Corona Pandemic), by the Acting Minister of Media in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Chairman of the Executive Council of the Union, Dr. Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qasabi, and his honor in launching the programs and activities of the Union (UNA) during the current year, targeting 2200 media professionals in the OIC countries, with generous support from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Islamic Development Bank Group. In his speech at the opening session of the forum, which was held on Saturday via videoconference, the UNA Assistant Director-General expressed his sincere thanks and gratitude to the host country, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, for its unlimited support for the Union, based on its historical roles in strengthening Islamic solidarity, and in implementation of the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and his loyal Crown Prince, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to support every action that enhances the solidarity of the Islamic nation and achieves prosperity and progress for its peoples. He also thanked the Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Dr. Yousef bin Ahmed Al-Othaimeen, who directed the mobilization of the capabilities of the General Secretariat to support the Union in making the forum a success, and the President of the Islamic Development Bank Group, Dr. Bandar bin Mohammed Hajjar, who took the initiative to support the strong partnership between the Bank Group and the Union to serve media and development in member states. Zayed Abdullah also thanked the United Arab Emirates, the Sultanate of Oman, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Arab Republic of Egypt, and the Republic of Azerbaijan for their support for the Union. In his speech, the Assistant Director-General of the Union said: The Corona pandemic crisis has confirmed the importance of official news agencies, and that they will remain - despite the great diversity of communication and publishing media - the most important means of obtaining documented and reliable information, attributed to its original sources. He added: The Union has taken it upon itself to make its platform a forum for exchanging experiences and coordinating the efforts of member agencies in media dissemination about the Corona pandemic, mobilizing its electronic platforms to republish the media content broadcast by news agencies. He expressed his hope that this forum will enhance the distinguished status of news agencies, through the exchange of ideas, initiatives, and experiences, and the presentation of best practices for everyone to benefit from. The Assistant Director-General of the Union called on the news agencies of Islamic countries to engage in the Union's initiatives and activities to serve media professionals in member states, especially steadfast Palestinian media professionals who are suffering from exceptional circumstances in light of the occupation's attempts to restrict them and silence their media platforms. He condemned the decision of the Israeli occupation authorities to renew the ban on the work of the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation. He stressed that the large attendance at the opening session of the forum, despite the difficulties and obstacles created by the Corona crisis, is evidence of the Union members’ care for its initiatives, a care that we hope will continue, as the Union, like all the organization’s bodies, is the joint property of all member states, and its programs cannot achieve their goals except with the support and assistance of all of you. (End) S.J./H.S.
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