The Arab Broadcasting Union is organising the 24th edition of the Arab Radio and Television Festival in the City of Culture in Tunis from 25 to 29 June, in partnership with the Tunisian Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Radio and Television, and the Arab Satellite Communications Corporation "Arabsat”.
Ambassador Ahmed Rashid Khattabi, Assistant Secretary-General and head of the Media and Communication Sector, underscored that the Union's decision to host this event under the theme "Supporting Palestine" underscores its commitment to the directives of the Council of Arab Information Ministers. This specialised organisation, with observer status, aims to implement the Arab media strategy and action plan, focusing on enhancing media support for the Palestinian cause. This includes highlighting its historical context, legal legitimacy, and humanitarian dimensions. The initiative is particularly pertinent amidst ongoing Israeli aggression in Gaza and West Bank, including Jerusalem, and aims to counter Israeli propaganda and censorship of Palestinian media and digital content. Despite these challenges, the cause has garnered widespread international solidarity across political, media, academic, legal, and parliamentary sectors worldwide.
Ambassador Khattabi also noted that the 54th session of the Council of Information Ministers in Bahrain in May commended the Arab Broadcasting Union for its prompt response to the dire situation in Gaza. This response addresses the escalating civilian casualties, injuries, and the destruction of essential infrastructure, including hospitals and public facilities, which contravenes international humanitarian law. The upcoming session will feature several seminars, including a symposium titled "Media of war or the war on media: Palestine as a case study."
He further emphasised that this annual festival has evolved into a vital platform for addressing key priorities in Arab media. These include youth, women, immigration, terrorism, and artificial intelligence. It also serves as a forum for media practitioners to exchange experiences and explore the latest audio-visual technologies through an accompanying exhibition. This exhibition will feature the participation of member organisations, television and radio networks, production companies, news agencies, and various international Arabic-speaking stations.
Ambassador Khattabi also stressed the Arab Broadcasting Union's pivotal role in the Arab media landscape over the past four decades. This includes providing technical consultations and engineering services, organising training courses, promoting high-quality media content, fostering a culture of innovation, facilitating television coverage of events, promoting news and programme exchanges, and establishing partnerships with similar professional organisations in Africa, Asia, and the West.
