Princess Basma attends 18th AWMC conference opening

AMMAN — HRH Princess Basma, honorary chairperson of the Arab Women Media Centre (AWMC), on Saturday participated in the opening ceremony of AWMC’s 18th conference held at the Madaba Institute for Mosaic Art and Restoration, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

During her speech, the princess highlighted the role of women in media, and their professionalism, dedication and commitment to the principles and ethics of journalism.

In the presence of Culture Minister Haifa Najjar, UNESCO Director in Jordan Min Jeong Kim and Madaba Governor Nayef Hidayat, the princess said that Arab women have shown a remarkable and prominent presence in the field of media in all forms. 

Female reporters play a role that is no less important and than their male counterparts and is just as risky, as women also provide coverage of wars and conflict areas, the princess said, referring to several female Arab journalists who passed away while performing their duties.

The princess commended the selection of Madaba as a venue for the conference to celebrate its selection as the 2022 capital of Arab tourism, highlighting the city’s tourism, heritage and historical diversity.

Tourism Minister Nayef Al Fayez pointed to the positive impact of the partnership between the media and national institutions working to promote tourism. 

He described the conference as an opportunity to deepen this partnership and introduce the city of Madaba, its “unique identity, diversity and heritage to a broader audience”.

Fayez pointed to the role of digital transformation, the communications revolution, and professional and balanced digital media in bolstering tourism.

In implementation of the Royal vision, the ministry established a number of projects and promotional campaigns to develop tourism.

The conference agenda, which was held in partnership with the Talal Abu Ghazaleh Knowledge Forum under the slogan “Digital Media Enhanced for Change”, saw the participation of female media professionals from several Arab countries.

The event focused on the shift towards digital media, its impact on media women and their role in the field.

It also involved exchanging success stories between Jordanian and Arab male and female media professionals.

On the sidelines of the conference, the princess inaugurated an exhibition showcasing a wide variety of publications by the Ministry of Culture, and another exhibition for folklore in Madaba.