Manama, Under the patronage of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the President of the current session of the Arab Summit, Dr Ramzan bin Abdullah Al Noaimi, the Minister of Information, on Wednesday chaired the 54th session of the Council of Arab Ministers of Information, which is hosted by the Kingdom of Bahrain, the current President of the Arab Summit.

The session was attended by members of the Council of Arab Ministers of Information, heads of delegations of Arab states, and Ambassador Ahmed Rashid Khattabi, the Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the Media and Communication Sector at the Arab League.

In his remarks, Dr. Al Noaimi thanked His Majesty the King, the current President of the Arab Summit, for His Majesty’s patronage of the meeting.

The minister noted that the royal patronage of the 54th session of the Council of Arab Ministers of Information reflects HM the King’s keenness to further enhance joint Arab action, coordination and solidarity.

Dr. Al Noaimi welcomed the participant
s to Manama, the 2024 Capital of Arab Media, and conveyed the greetings of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, and Prime Minister, and their wishes for the success of the council in promoting joint Arab media development and growth.

The minister thanked Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid, the Moroccan Minister of Youth, Culture, and Communication, for his efforts during his presidency of the previous session of the Council of Arab Ministers of Information and to the General Secretariat of the Arab League, represented by the Information and Communication Sector and the Standing Committee for Arab Media for their cooperation in preparing and organising this meeting.

Dr. Al Noaimi expressed pride in hosting the 54th session of the Council of Arab Ministers of Information shortly after Bahrain hosted the successful Arab League Summit. He noted that the summit’s resolutions will provide significant impetus for joint Arab action and unity to ad
dress regional challenges.

The Minister of Information lauded HM the King’s leadership of the Arab Summit, adding that his efforts led to outcomes that were aligned with the hopes of Arab peoples.

Dr. Al Naoimi said that the Bahrain Declaration, unanimously adopted by Arab leaders, aims to enhance security, stability, and development in the Arab and Middle East regions.

The minister shed light on the initiatives of the Bahrain Declaration, including the collective call to convene an international conference under the auspices of the United Nations (UN) to resolve the Palestinian issue based on the two-state solution, directing the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Arab States to take immediate action to communicate with the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the countries of the world to urge them to promptly recognise the State of Palestine in support of the Arab endeavours to obtain full membership of the State of Palestine in the UN as an independent and fully sovereign state, provide educational and hea
lthcare services to those affected by conflicts in the region, and developing Arab cooperation in the field of financial technology, innovation and digital transformation.

The minister emphasised that the initiatives in the Bahrain Declaration address the current challenges facing the Arab world, and set a road map to resolve them.

Furthermore, Minister Dr. Al Noami underscored the growing importance of Arab media, adding the Bahrain Summit outcomes provide a roadmap for media to align with Arab leaders’ aspirations and drive progress in the region.

He affirmed the Kingdom’s commitment to supporting the Council of Arab Information Ministers’ decisions to develop Arab media and to bolstering coordination and communication to further increase the media’s contribution to advancing and Arab societies and identity.

Ministers of Information from the Council of Arab Ministers of Information delivered speeches highlighting the significance of the 54th session in Bahrain and the agenda’s focus on further advancing
Arab media and strengthening its role in addressing challenges.

They lauded the efforts exerted by Bahrain, under the leadership of His Majesty the King, in supporting the progress of joint Arab action. They commended the Kingdom’s keenness during its presidency of the current session of the Arab Summit to achieve Arab solidarity and integration, wishing the Kingdom further success and prosperity.

The Arab Information Ministers approved the items on the agenda aiming at developing Arab media. This included continuing media support for the Palestinian cause, following up on the Arab media’s international action plan, creating the Arab media roadmap for sustainable development 2030, developing a unified strategy to deal with international media organisations, developing the role of Arab media in countering terrorism, and exploring the use of modern technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) in Arab media and its effect on the human element.

During the meeting, the Council of Arab Ministers of Information
unanimously approved Bahrain’s proposal on media mechanisms related to the initiatives presented by His Majesty the King, that were adopted unanimously by the Arab leaders. The proposal includes adopting media activities to highlight the initiatives announced at the Bahrain Summit through various regional and international media outlets, as well as submitting periodic reports on this matter.

The Council of Arab Ministers of Information approved the selection of Kuwait City as the Arab Media Capital for 2025.

Source: Bahrain News Agency