(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) AMMAN, Nov 23 (KUNA) -- The Federation of Arab News Agencies (FANA) on Thursday concluded its two-day 45th Assembly in Amman, Jordan.
The Assembly, sponsored by Jordanian Prime Minister Hani Al-Mulki, was presided over by FANA's President and KUNA's Chairman and Director General Sheikh Mubarak Al-Duaij Al-Ibrahim Al-Sabah.
Top officials from 15 Arab news agencies took part in the assembly's three sessions, together with counterparts from European and international ones.
A host of resolutions have been made, topped with re-electing Sheikh Mubarak Al-Duaij for another two-year term, and accepting Kuwait's invitation to host the next assembly.
The assembly announced that KUNA won FANA's 2017 best photo of the year award for Ghazi Qafaf's "Kuwaiti children and dhows". The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) won the award of the best report of the year.
The assembly's final statement said that chiefs of Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA) and the Oman News Agency (ONA) were elected deputies of FANA's president.
A new secretariat was also elected for the coming two years, consisting of the director generals of SPA, the Jordanian News Agency (Petra) the Tunisian News Agency (TAP) and the Emirates News Agency (WAM).
In addition, a committee was formed to re-draft the federation's statute and bylaw.
According to the statement, the assembly stressed the significance of organizing biennial round-tables with the international news agencies to explain developments on the media scene and to correct any false news or trends against the Arab world. The decision aims to counter terrorists' use of certain news outlets to publish their news as scoops.
On the relation with UNESCO, FANA emphasized the necessity of leaving the door open with the organization, proposing an annual meeting to be held with UNESCO officials besides joint intellectual events.
The assembly reiterated the significance of carrying on with coordination with the European news agencies, forming a framework for annual meetings between the two sides.
The FANA member welcomed a proposal from WAM to organize a conference under the theme "toward a tolerant media discourse." The event will focus on the role media can play for countering terrorism and discourse of hate, besides disseminating toleration and working hard on joining efforts to fight "media illiteracy." The meeting approved FANA's participation in the coming News Agencies World Congress, Bulgaria, 2019.
Meanwhile, FANA's Secretary General was tasked with contacting counterpart of the European Alliance of News Agencies (EANA) on terminating the agreements signed between the two sides, since the European side has not yet activated it. A new one will be sought.
KUNA's delegation to the FANA's 45th Assembly, led by Sheikh Mubarak Al-Duaij, also included the agency's Director of Marketing and Public Relations Issam Al-Rowayeh.
Established in 1975, FANA includes 18 Arab news agencies as members. It is affiliated to the Arab League. (end) mjb.msa
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