GA 2016: ABU 53rd General Assembly kicked off today in Bali, Indonesia
Broadcasters have a mission to deliver “the right content” to the audience, said the Indonesian Minister of Communication and Information. Honourable Mr Rudiantara was speaking this morning at the opening ceremony of the 2-day 53rd General Assembly of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) in Bali.
He added that he is aware of the various challenges broadcasters are facing today in the Asia-Pacific region due to digitalisation and social media. Indonesia has a population of 254 million people, about 300 ethnic groups speaking 740 languages and the archipelago consists of 17,000 islands. The Minister pointed out that it’s a huge task for Indonesia to manage the one thousand licensed broadcasters throughout the country but more importantly he has the responsibility to use all available resources to meet the challenges of the broadcasting industry where the priority remains the public.
In his welcoming speech, Mr Mohammad Rohanudin, President Director of Radio Republik Indonesia laid emphasis on the protection of the diverse audiences in the region. He pleaded for more actions on the part of broadcasters to further promote unity and a sense of togetherness among the people of the region.
For Mr Hikaru Doumoto, Acting President of the ABU, “to overcome difficulties and adapt to a new environment, it is crucial for broadcasters to share information and learn from each other’s success. We must work beyond borders of broadcasting and telecommunications and increase our capability to offer better content to our audience. The bigger the challenge, the greater the opportunity is to strengthen the unity among members.”
Dr Javad Mottaghi, the ABU Secretary General urged delegates present to fully understand our role in promoting social development. He underlined that “While broadcasting naturally involves trying to please as many listeners and viewers as possible, we must never lose sight of our responsibilities to minorities in our communities. Ethnic minorities, the disadvantaged and disabled,women’s education and a variety of other related concerns. It is our duty to target all of our potential audience and not merely the majority.”
Tomorrow, the General Assembly will continue with discussions on highly relevant topics such as Climate Change and Diversity in the Media.