Oana More United In Tackling Challenges Facing News Agencies

By Nur Ashikin Abdul Aziz KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 11 (Bernama) -- The Organisation of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA), which turned 55 in December last year, has become more united in promoting information exchange among its members to tackle challenges facing news agencies worldwide. Its President, Aslan Aslanov, who is also the Azerbaijan State News Agency (AZERTAC) Director-General, said that the organisation is now wiser and has more experience to overcome challenges facing news agencies around the globe. "What is the most important - we become more united around common values and professional excellence. We are part of the globalised whole, faithfully committed to common ideals and striving to achieve common goals," he said in his New Year's greeting posted on OANA's website. The Organisation was founded on Dec 22, 1961, in Bangkok at the First General Assembly of Asian news agencies on the initiative of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). OANA now has 44 members from 35 countries, and is responsible for two-thirds of information circulated throughout the world. Moving forward, the newly elected OANA President in his welcoming address said that technological innovation in the field of information technologies, is one of the significant challenges faced by OANA members, requiring them to develop new approaches and apply in their daily work. "Today, video is the most popular form of delivery of news. Rapid development of social media and mobile technologies brought the importance of using the video content to the foreground of our work," he said. In this aspect, he said that cooperation among member-agencies is the prerequisite for meeting these challenges. "With members' active involvement and contribution, OANA should preserve its significance as a platform of exchange of the most accurate and unbiased news, broad knowledge and rich experience," he said. Aslanov also urged all member-agencies, especially the Executive Board to remain committed to the organisation's mission. OANA conducts its daily news-sharing activities through its website, http://oananews.org. Members also share photos and news videos from member-agencies on the website and on the oananews Facebook page. The OANA Statute adopted at its 7th General Assembly in Jakarta listed eight objectives of the organisation, which included increasing and facilitating a freer flow of news and information in Asia and the Pacific, participating actively in correcting the imbalance in information and improving the flow of news between developed and developing countries. The organisation also strives to concern itself with national, regional and sub - regional efforts at overcoming poverty, hunger, unemployment and disease; and to commit itself to peace and understanding among nations and opposition to all forms of racism, colonialism and neo-colonialism. OANA convened its 16th General Assembly in Baku, in November 2016, where Aslanov was elected as the new president for 2016-2019. Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) was re-elected as one of its Executive Board members. At the event South Korea' Yonhap news agency put forward its bid to host the 17th OANA General Assembly, which was approved by voting. Yonhap will chair OANA in 2019-2022 while Bahrain was elected as host of the 42nd Executive Board meeting that will take place in March this year. --BERNAMA