SHARJAH: Director General of Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), Dr. Fatima AlSalem, stressed Wednesday the importance of the role played by news agencies and media in promoting the concept of food security and to discuss and address all challenges facing it. This came during her participation in a discussion session within the World Media Forum held on the sidelines of Expo Sharjah 2023 within the theme (Media, Food Security, Opportunities, and Challenges).

Dr. Fatima Al-Salem said that food security is a very important case to the world and to the GCC countries, especially in the wake of the CORONA pandemic, noting that these challenges and food security have become a very urgent necessity. The global reports related to food security and its challenges have imposed more tasks on the media, such as preparing distinguished cadres and specialized journalists to deliver the media message in a comprehensive manner to the reader to raise awareness and rationalization.

She pointed to the importance of media theories that simplify media messages but in a scientific and thoughtful manner, and shed light on the humanitarian aspect in media materials dealing with topics and concepts related to food security, development, and other issues in the same context. She noted that the State of Kuwait is at the top of the global rankings for achieving food security by establishing special reserves, campaigns concerned with rationalizing surplus food, and multiple official and civil national strategies concerned with that.

Director General of Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) Dr Fatima Al-Salem participates in a discussion session. – KUNA photos

In this regard, she explained the importance of the role of the media message in shedding light on the concept of food security, as she believed that the most effective way to reach the recipient and public opinion lies in simplifying the media message and using advanced technological means. On the other hand, Dr. Fatima Al-Salem confirmed the importance of focusing on journalism specializing in climate change issues and launching initiatives and steps that create a new generation of journalists, as the Media Training and Development Center at KUNA is doing by holding courses in these fields.

On his part, Acting Deputy Director General of the Emirates News Agency (WAM), Ali Al Saad, said that the media and news agencies have a very significant role to play in food security issues and concepts. "Our priority is to focus on preparing specialized materials and broadcasting awareness messages in a smooth manner that relies on simple language and methods, through different materials and stories that carry a human dimension", he explained.

Al-Saad pointed out the importance of establishing effective strategic partnerships, especially in the Arab region, moving towards specialized media, and benefiting from the tremendous development in media, digital communication, and others, to shed light on this issue through awareness and rationalization.

The World Media Forum highlights the most important media topics, practices, opportunities, and challenges related to issues of sustainability and the environment, climate change, food security, concepts of the green economy, and other issues related to the various media fields of journalism, radio, television, digital, and artificial intelligence.- KUNA