Dubai: The 15th edition of the annual Arab Media Forum (AMF) will kick off on May 10, the organising committee of the two-day event announced on Saturday.
An initiative by the Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, the forum will have a theme of ‘Media of Good’, focusing on the role of media in preserving human values and ethics as well as the media’s responsibility in spreading these values in communities to contribute to the advancement of people and ensure that the media fulfils its vital role in this regard.
The organising committee affirmed that the forum’s message revolves around the current role of media and its future, the challenges that constrain this role as well as the solutions to these challenges.
Organised by Dubai Press Club (DPC), the forum is set to host prominent regional and international media experts, journalists, thought leaders, writers and analysts.
Mona Ganem Al Merri, chairperson of the AMF organising committee, stressed that over the past 15 years, the forum has continued to evolve with rapidly changing media events that have directly and indirectly affected current and future affairs in the region.
Al Merri said that the UAE is keen to boost the role of media in order to cope efficiently with growing economic and political challenges that have evolved during the last five years as well as to mobilise efforts to take the people of the Arab world beyond their crisis and towards further advancement.
Talking about the theme of the 15th edition, Al Merri said that this year the AMF chose to tackle the humanitarian dimensions in the role of media after scrutinising events in the Arab world where some people find themselves in ethically challenging circumstances.
“Values and ethics are central to the advancement of humanity and civilisations. These are the unwritten codes that govern people’s behaviours and relationships. Values and ethics are the founding pillars of societies and their loss wreak havoc and cause disturbances in the communities,” said Al Merri.
Among the topics to be discussed during this year’s edition are the important role of media in providing accurate information and avoiding negativity, the influence of media in forming public opinion and the future outlook of the Arab media.
Event details
What: Arab Media Forum
When: May 10-11
Where: Dubai World Trade Centre
