Cairo: The Council of Arab Ministers of Information has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the Palestinian cause in all its dimensions, with a central focus on the issue of occupied Jerusalem. This was declared as the Council concluded its 55th session at the Arab League headquarters, under the chairmanship of the Syrian Arab Republic and attended by the League’s Secretary-General, along with ministers, heads of delegations, and observer media organizations.
According to Jordan News Agency, the Council called on Arab media outlets to provide comprehensive coverage of developments amid ongoing Israeli violations in Gaza and the West Bank. It condemned the targeting of Palestinian journalists, labeling it a violation of international and humanitarian law. Additionally, the Council emphasized the importance of promoting the Arab Media Honor Charter, urging its dissemination and implementation to ensure integrity, accuracy, and impartiality in media practices.
The Council also adopted the Arab Strategy for Media and Information Literacy and the unified Arab plan for addressing environmental issues and sustainable development, which aligns with the Arab Vision 2045 set to be endorsed at the 34th Arab Summit in Baghdad in 2025. Moreover, it welcomed the UAE’s initiative to host a program on “Media Engineering in the Age of Artificial Intelligence” and commissioned the Arab Electronic Media Committee to draft a model law to regulate digital media.
The session underscored the need for coordinated regional media plans to strengthen support for the Palestinian cause, counter the Israeli narrative, highlight Arab cultural identity, and combat extremism and terrorism. A team of experts was tasked with developing a vision and timeline for the interim phase of the Arab Media Strategy to Combat Terrorism, in collaboration with Naif Arab University for Security Sciences.
Additionally, the Council urged member states and media organizations to continue implementing the Arab Media Map for Sustainable Development. It also encouraged the working group, in coordination with the Arab States Broadcasting Union, to expedite the creation of a unified Arab approach for negotiations with global media platforms.
In another development, the Council designated Rabat as the Arab Media Capital for 2026, Doha for 2027, and Damascus for 2028, with each year’s program to include a segment on Jerusalem’s spiritual, cultural, and architectural significance. The Council also endorsed the Arab Child Media Award, a joint initiative by the Arab League’s Media and Social Affairs sectors, aimed at promoting creative content for children’s issues.
On the session’s sidelines, Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit honored Ahmad Assaf, the minister overseeing official media in the State of Palestine, as a gesture of solidarity with Palestinian media professionals. Certificates of appreciation and cash prizes, sponsored by Kuwait, were awarded to winners of the Arab Media Excellence Award in various categories.