31 January 2023
The Arab Committee for Electronic Media held its 18th meeting in Jordan, in implementation of the decision of the 52nd regular session of the Council of Arab Information Ministers, in cooperation with the Arab Satellite Broadcasting Authority, in the presence of Ambassador Ahmed Rashid Khattabi, Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the Media and Communications Sector.
The committee reviewed the report and recommendations of the working group concerned with monitoring and studying all electronic games that call for violence and terrorism and their impact on Arab community security.
The Committee also discussed the draft internal regulations of this mechanism in light of the comments and proposals submitted by member states with the aim of updating this system and making it more consistent with the changes in the media and digital landscape.
The Executive Director of the Watani Al Emarat Foundation, Dharar Belhoul, reviewed the efforts made by the UAE to develop and activate the Committee’s website, taking into consideration the speed of completion, the requirements of the provisions of the legal provisions, and the visions expressed by the member states with a view to reaching an integrated project in cooperation with the Technical Secretariat of the Council of Arab Information Ministers.
The meeting also witnessed an extensive discussion on the formation of the Arab Committee on Cybersecurity with the aim of protecting and fortifying Arab websites and platforms from hacking and cyber attacks.
In this context, the Chairman of the Arab Satellite Broadcasting Authority, Mohammad Al-Adayleh, presented a project called “Arab Audio, Visual and Readable Archive” that aims to document important aspects of the Arab heritage in cooperation with the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States, UNESCO and the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization, which will be circulated to member states to contribute to determining the most effective ways to complete this initiative.
For his part, Ambassador Khattabi stressed at the end of the meeting that the rapid developments in the digital field have become necessary for more effective action and constructive collective effort in order to advance joint Arab media work, especially with regard to electronic media, pointing out the importance of benefiting from the expertise and experiences of member states to reduce the digital gap and improve human and technical capabilities