Jeddah (UNA) – The Executive Council of the Union of OIC News Agencies (UNA) held its 26th session today, Thursday (January 23, 2025), chaired by the Acting Chairman of the Executive Council, President of the General Assembly, and President of the Saudi Press Agency, His Excellency Mr. Ali bin Abdullah Al-Zaid. The session was attended by the Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, H.E. Hissein Brahim Taha, along with the participation of the Council’s members.
At the opening of the online meeting, H.E. Mr. Ali bin Abdullah Al-Zaid emphasized that the media landscape is undergoing significant transformations, requiring deep changes in operational models. He highlighted the vital role of regional and international unions, such as UNA, in uniting efforts to navigate and adapt to these changes.
Al-Zaid underscored the necessity for the Union itself to keep pace with global media transformations by adopting digitization programs and integrating the latest innovations in content production. He affirmed the Saudi Press Agency’s commitment, through its leadership of UNA’s General Assembly, to supporting the Union in this direction, fostering projects that enhance media content, digitization, and creativity in production.
He expressed profound gratitude to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, for their unwavering support to UNA as the host country, including financial and logistical assistance. This support has allowed the Union not only to sustain its operations but also to aspire to higher goals and develop new programs to achieve its mission of placing Islamic media content at the forefront.
In his address, Al-Zaid extended special thanks to the Minister of Media, H.E. Salman bin Yousef Al-Dosari, for his steadfast support and follow-up on the Saudi Press Agency’s role in backing UNA.
The Secretary-General of the OIC, H.E. Hissein Brahim Taha, lauded the tangible progress achieved by UNA in recent years, emphasizing the Union’s valuable role in supporting OIC-related media initiatives, enhancing the organization’s global visibility, and advancing the media infrastructure of its member states.
H.E. Taha also commended the strategic media partnerships formed by the Union, including memoranda of understanding with local and international institutions.
Minister Ahmed Assaf, Supervisor General of Official Media in Palestine, acknowledged UNA’s significant progress under its current leadership, particularly its unwavering support for the Palestinian cause amidst Israeli aggression targeting the Palestinian people and media.
Assaf highlighted UNA’s role in creating a global platform for the Palestinian narrative, particularly through the international forum “Media’s Role in Fueling Hate and Violence: The Risks of Disinformation and Bias,” which focused on exposing the crimes faced by Palestinians, including those targeting Palestinian media.
In his address, UNA Director-General, H.E. Mohamed bin Abdulrab Al-Yami, emphasized the importance of this session in strengthening the Union’s role in addressing challenges and fulfilling the aspirations of its member states in the field of media.
Al-Yami announced that the Union has successfully overcome financial challenges, entering a phase of recovery with the support of its member states. He highlighted Saudi Arabia’s generous contribution of over USD 3 million, which enabled UNA to settle its debts.
Al-Yami expressed gratitude to Qatar for fulfilling its financial obligations from 2009 to 2020, along with its 2021 contribution. He also thanked other contributing nations, including the UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Libya, Pakistan, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Cameroon, and Côte d’Ivoire.
The session concluded with the approval of UNA’s 2025 financial accounts and planning budget, as well as reports on implemented activities and future programs. The Executive Council adopted several resolutions to advance Islamic media cooperation, to be presented to the General Assembly.
The Executive Council comprises member states including Saudi Arabia (host country), Azerbaijan, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Gambia, Malaysia, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, and the UAE.
