23 news agencies to strengthen cultural, people co-existence

By Gigie Arcilla   

DUBAI, UAE – Despite diversity in culture and religion, some 23 news agencies from different parts of the world vowed to promote the principles of tolerance and co-existence.

In a rare gathering on the sidelines of the World Government Summit held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) on February 10-12, leaders of different media outfits signed an agreement dubbed as “News Agencies’ Tolerance Charter”.

Initiated by the Emirates News Agency (WAM) through its Executive Director Mohamed Alrayssi, the Tolerance Charter signing at the Mina Al Salam Hotel in Jumeirah on February 10 was in line with the UAE declaration of 2019 as the “Year of Tolerance”.

It is anchored on the “importance and role of the media’s message and realization of responsibilities and duties towards the community, its institutions and individuals, and towards the media profession” with the following principles:

• Development of media tools through technologies and innovations that contribute in supporting the manufacture of media content for what is in the interest of humankind;

• Constant media follow-up, which sheds light on its role in achieving the values of peaceful coexistence among the peoples of different religions, sects, doctrines, ideologies, and all other differences;

• Exchange of written news, pictures, video clips and any other journalistic materials with different news media, related to the topic of tolerance, regardless of the location of events;

• Strengthening of media content, which is related to tolerance and employing media tools to raise the level of this content and shedding light on international successes in strengthening this value to serve humanity, out of the positive influence of tolerance in protecting peoples from following hatred, intolerance, sectarianism, terrorism, and other dark and misguided ideas;

• Foreseeing the future of practices that instill the values and principles of tolerance in peoples in all sectors and aspects of life, both personal and professional; and

• Shedding light on the role of youth in building tolerant communities, and pushing towards strengthening their participation in decision-making and drawing up future plans, and addressing them with language and media content that are appropriate to the nature of their aspirations and their ways of thinking.

The Tolerance Charter specifies the following: news exchange to strengthen the concept of coexistence among cultures and peoples, regardless of differences; news about initiatives and projects that aim to strengthen the values and principles of tolerance; news about dialogues conducted among various cultures and civilizations. News about cultural and social programs, which contribute to building tolerant communities; and news about implementing and formulating legislation and policies that contribute to planting cultural and religious tolerance.

Signatories to the Charter are WAM, Philippine News Agency (PNA), Saudi News Agency, ENEX, Yemen News Agency (SABA), Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), Cyprus News Agency, FANA News Agency, Slovenian Press Agency, Bahrain News Agency, National News Agency, Prensa Latina (Cuba), Agency News KABAR, Trend News Agency, Jordan News Agency Petra, Oman News Agency, Bulgarian News Agency-BTA, Middle East News Agency, Associated Press of Pakistan, BERNAMA-Malaysian National News Agency, LUSA AGENCIA DE NOTICIAS (Portugal), Press Trust of India (PTI), and Sputnik (Russia). (PNA)