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Pacific Media Partnership Conference begins, MAGGIE BOYLE, NOVEMBER 17, 2014 12:00 AM

Free press must act responsibly: Reed, ELLEN STOLZ, NOVEMBER 17, 2014 4:30 AM

Asia-Pacific Broadcasting strengthens capacity, CHRISTOPHER CHAND, NOVEMBER 18, 2014 4:00 AM

ABU Boosts Pacific Media Role, By Waisea Nasokia, Nadi, 20 Nov 2014 09:09

Youtube link of main TV bulletin broadcast at 6pm, PMC story comes on around 9.45mins in, note news is a half hour bulletin

Conference Promotes Pacific Broadcasting

The development of broadcasting in the Pacific was the key focus of the Pacific Media Partnership Conference 2014, held in Nadi, Fiji on 17-19 November. Organised by the ABU and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and hosted by the Fiji government, the conference brought together more than 140 participants from 25 countries. With the theme ‘Partnering for broadcast development’, the conference examined the needs of broadcasters in the Pacific and sought to build a sense of belonging among them.

The ABU Secretary-General, Dr Javad Mottaghi, moderated a session on ‘Public Service Media and Broadcasting in Pacific Countries: Challenges and Opportunities’, at which several CEOs and senior broadcasting executives presented their views.

Dr Mottaghi made a commitment to assist in the digitalisation process. Plans have already been drawn to provide human capacity building in Tonga and Samoa in March and August 2015 respectively.

The US Ambassador to Fiji, Ms Frankie Reed, told the conference there needed to be a variety of people in the media from all races and cultures to be able to better understand issues on the ground. She said she firmly supported a free press but one that also reported responsibly.

Fiji’s Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation, Rosy Akbar, said there was an obvious gender disproportion in the ICT sector, and Pacific countries needed to commit themselves to changing the tide.

The Head of the ITU’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Iowane Korovuki, said it was integral to any country’s development to open up options for women in ICT.

The conference was the fifth in a series that started in 2010 in Tonga, followed by conferences in Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu.

MEET THE SPEAKERS