HISTORIC ABU ADMIN COUNCIL MEETING HELD ONLINE

The ABU Admin Council successfully held its mid-year meeting online in two sessions on 26 and 27 August. This was the first virtual Board meeting ever, in the 56th year history of the Union.  Although the travel restrictions kept the Councillors thousands of miles away from each other, the 109th Admin Council  meeting consisted of lively discussions and charted the course of the ABU strategy for the post-COVID 19 era; stated Mr İbrahim Eren, the ABU Acting President and TRT Chairman and Director General.

With most of the activities of the Union moving online, a big part of working in the new normal would be played by the recently launched content exchange platform Asia-Pacific View and the ABU Media Academy. 

Securing the financial sustainability of the Union and measures to ease the financial burden of members were also on the Agenda. The Admin Council recognised the great efforts undertaken by the Union to serve members during the crisis by providing them with high quality copyright free content and organising massive online capacity – building programme.

The online 109th Admin council meeting was also a ‘dress rehearsal’ for the 2020 ABU General Assembly and Associated Meetings. The numerous governance meetings, ABU Prizes, TV Song Festival , Sports , Technical and programme Committee Meetings as well as other forums will be held online over the months of November and December.

In his closing remarks of the meeting, Mr İbrahim Eren stated: “The COVID-19 pandemic is continuing its spread across the world. The effects of the virus demonstrate that the ongoing outbreak is more than a health crisis and it affects us all. The best way to combat common problems and challenges is to work together.”

The ABU Acting President added that during these difficult times, media organizations- especially public service broadcasters, as trusted sources of information, bear a great responsibility. Therefore, more than ever it is time to strengthen our cooperation through the implementation of joint initiatives and actions under the ABU’s umbrella.