JEDDAH, (Pakistan Point News - 17th May, 2020) The Emirates News Agency (WAM) Saturday participated in the First Media Forum of the Union of OIC News Agencies (UNA) entitled "The Role and News Agencies in Supporting Efforts to Confront Coronavirus Pandemic", which convened through video conferencing in Jeddah.
The event, chaired by Dr. Majid bin Abdullah Al Qasabi, Acting Minister of Media in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Chairman of the Executive Council of the Union, was attended by Mohammed Jalal Al Rayssi, Acting Director-General of the National Media Council and Executive Director of WAM, as well as Ali Hassan, board Chairman of the middle East News Agency (MENA) along with a number of ambassadors and permanent representatives of member states to the OIC as well as heads, directors and representatives of member news agencies in the OIC countries.
Al Qasabi emphasised the pivotal role of official news agencies in the development process by highlighting the global efforts and the initiatives undertaken by international financial institutions and multilateral development banks into limit the spread of this pandemic and then mitigate its negative economic and social effects.
"The world is going through unprecedented exceptional circumstances because of Coronavirus pandemic which affected all aspects of life and required concerted efforts by the international community to find a vaccine for this epidemic. Among these efforts is the call by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for holding an extraordinary G20 summit last March to discuss means of coordinating global efforts to combat Coronavirus pandemic," he said Addressing the forum, Al Rayssi said news agencies have been playing and will continue to have a significant role in the media industry. "During the COVID-19 crisis, news agencies have managed to establish solid channels of relations and coordination with various national and private media outlets and different segments of readership.
"The UAE boasts a robust, digital infrastructure that has enabled the country to keep pace with the multifaceted and rapid changes taking place worldwide, thanks to the visionary and future-oriented vision of the UAE's leadership whose directives have resulted in boosting efficiency and ensuring business continuity under the challenging circumstances the world is reeling under," he said.
"The Emirates News Agency has adopted all necessary preventive and precautionary measures to ensure the safety of its workforce without impinging on business continuity and work systems in place," he added, explaining that WAM is working at 30 percent capacity and has provided all needed protective and hygiene kits to employees working from office.
"The current trying times have motivated us to turn challenges into opportunities and pursue state-off-the-art-technology to modernise daily work routine. Thanks to these efforts, we have raised public awareness in 13 different languages and boosted our educative messages to all segments of society," Al Rayssi concluded.
