The ABU Secretary-General, Dr Javad Mottaghi, has spoken of the importance of radio in helping people survive the COVID crisis.

Dr Mottaghi was opening RadioAsia 2022 in Kuala Lumpur, the first face-to-face ABU radio conference in three years.

Welcoming delegates, he said radio had been a trusted source of information during the pandemic and a way of connecting people when they had to be apart.

“Broadcasters have been able to cope with COVID and continue serving the audience during this challenging time…we have all been affected but we have been able to cope with the disaster,” he said.

“The ABU also adapted very quickly to deliver our services online during these challenging times.”

The conference began on 4 September with two training workshops presented by the ABU Media Academy. The opening session took place on 5 September, followed by a full day of discussions, presentations and displays.

Other speakers at the opening session were Anders Held, Project Director and Founder of Radiodays Asia, a separate two-day conference being held on 6-7 September in partnership with RadioAsia, and Olya Booyar, Head of ABU Radio.