Ulaanbaatar
MONTSAME Signs MOUs with News Agencies of the UAE, Iran, and Kazakhstan
Society
Ulaanbaatar, November 1, 2023 /MONTSAME/. The regular Executive Board Meeting of the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies /OANA/ and Conference was held in Istanbul, Türkiye on October 22-25, 2023. This Conference was organized by Türkiye's Anadolu Agency.
A delegation led by T. Enkhtuya, the First Deputy Director of MONTSAME Mongolian National News Agency, participated in the Executive Board Meeting and Conference. This year's Conference theme was: “Cooperation Among News Agencies on Fighting Disinformation”, featuring two insightful panel sessions: “Areas of Cooperation for News Agencies in the Fight against Disinformation” and “The Role of News Agencies in the Age of Disinformation”. Presentations were made during the Conference by news agencies from Azerbaijan, Japan, the Russian Federation, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the United Arab Emirates, and the People's Republic of China.
The discussions delved into the escalating challenge of disinformation, a threat exacerbated by technological advancements, innovation, and the impact of social media. The consensus emerged that the rapid growth of citizen journalism was a contributing factor to this issue, emphasizing the critical role of news agencies as reliable sources of information. The importance of strengthening relationships among OANA member news agencies, promoting media literacy, and collaborative training efforts to enhance the public's ability to discern fact from fiction was highlighted. Additionally, participants voiced concerns about events in Gaza and underscored the imperative of safeguarding the safety of journalists and reporters working on the ground.
At the end of the meeting, a declaration was issued, and it was agreed that the 2024 regular OANA Executive Board Meeting would be organized by Japan's Kyodo News. During the OANA Executive Board Meeting held in Istanbul, MONTSAME agency signed a new Memorandum of Understanding with WAM of the United Arab Emirates and Mehr (MNA) of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Also, the Memorandum of Understanding with Kazinform Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan was renewed.
MONTSAME became a member of OANA in 1981 and actively participated in its activities. In 2010, it was first elected as a member of the Executive Board at the General Assembly meeting in Istanbul, Türkiye, and in 2011, it successfully organized the Executive Board Meeting in Ulaanbaatar. Subsequently, MONTSAME was re-elected as a member of the Executive Board in 2013, 2019, and 2022, and has been working as a member of the Technical Committee since 2016.
