Kuwait City: The 24th meeting of the Committee of Heads of News Agencies of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries convened virtually in the State of Kuwait, with participation from several directors and heads of news agencies representing GCC member states. The meeting saw HE Director-General of Qatar News Agency (QNA), Ahmed bin Saeed Al Rumaihi, representing QNA.
According to Qatar News Agency, the participants discussed various topics on the agenda, including a memo from the General Secretariat of the GCC outlining the strategic plan for joint media cooperation for GCC countries from 2023 to 2030. They also reviewed updates on the joint electronic application for GCC news agencies, previously proposed by QNA, and deliberated on the necessary steps to ensure its timely launch.
The application is expected to provide a comprehensive digital platform, enabling GCC citizens and global followers to access official news broadcasts from Gulf news agencies. It will also offer live broadcasts of Gulf radio and television channels, a multimedia archive, and streamline tracking of news agency content across social media platforms.
On the topic of cooperation to combat disinformation and false reporting, participants recommended that the presiding state, in collaboration with the General Secretariat, engage in sustained coordination efforts to counter misinformation in line with evolving developments and events.
Additionally, the meeting addressed the importance of ongoing training courses for media personnel in GCC states. It was recommended that news agencies submit an annual schedule of their training courses to the General Secretariat for circulation among other member agencies.
The General Secretariat was tasked with coordinating with the incoming presidency of the United Arab Emirates to organize a photographic exhibition during the 46th Session of the Supreme Council of the GCC in the UAE, with participation from news agencies of member states. They also agreed on the proposal to hold a virtual photographic expo, to be presented at the next meeting of the GCC Ministers of Information.
Overall, the meeting endorsed a program of reciprocal visits by editors, photographers, and technicians between the news agencies of GCC states, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and the Kingdom of Morocco. This initiative aims to diversify cooperation, particularly in combating fake news and leveraging artificial intelligence in news processing.