Leaders and delegates attending the sixth BRICS Media Forum conference have called for closer ties and partnerships to ensure sustainable development in Africa and the BRICS community.
They made the call at the opening of a two-day event in Johannesburg, South Africa, which is taking place ahead of the BRICS leaders’ summit starting on Tuesday.
Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa form BRICS, but more than 40 other world leaders are expected to be in attendance at the summit
Delivering his keynote address, the Executive Chairman of the forum and President of Xinhua News Agency, Fu Hua, said mutual learning and cooperation were necessary for the development of emerging countries.
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He said, “We are advocating for the respect of our diversity and mutual learning and development of developing countries through a shared commitment and prosperity.”
He stressed the need for African media leaders to join hands with the forum for the development of the media sector and for the common good of the countries.
Some of the key issues discussed at the conference are digital disruption and the menace of fake news and disinformation and their effects on ethical and objective journalism.
The Executive Chairman of Independent Media in South Africa, Dr Iqbal Sueve, said Africa and BRICS countries needed to partner in the use of digital technologies to fight fake news and get ready for the challenges ahead.
He said, “Africa must find a way to own and tell its stories. The next war in the world is the war for narrative, and whoever wins that will take over the world.”
The BRICS Media Forum was established in 2015 as a platform for highlighting the new development within the BRICS community and to play a role in shaping its future cooperation with the rest of the world.
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