Arab Electronic Media Committee concludes its 15th session with recommendations on combating terrorist content online

The Arab Electronic Media Committee (AEMC) of the Arab League today wrapped up its 15^th session held at the Dubai Press Club’s new headquarters with a set of recommendations aimed at combating terrorist content online.

The two-day meetings, hosted by the Dubai Press Club in partnership with the Arab League and Watani Al Emarat Foundation, were attended by His Excellency Dr. Fawzi Al Ghweil, Director of Technical Administration of the Arab League's Council of Arab Information Ministers, representatives of member states of the Arab League, and a number of media organisations and bodies.

During the meetings, held on 12 and 13 January, the Arab Electronic Media Committee met with officials from leading social media companies, including Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, to discuss how they can enhance their cooperation to defuse and combat terrorist content on social media networks.

Commenting on the occasion, His Excellency Dr. Fawzi Al Ghweil said organising the meetings are part of the Arab League’s endeavour to help Arab media enhance their role in addressing key regional issues. He expressed his appreciation to the Dubai Press Club for hosting the meetings in partnership with Watani Al Emarat Foundation, which he said reflects Dubai’s keenness to support Arab media’s growth and development.

Al Ghweil noted the significance of the recommendations issued during the meetings and the fact that they reflect the growing dialogue between Arab online media experts.

His Excellency Dherar Belhoul Al Falasi highlighted the importance of the meetings in the light of the rapid proliferation of online media. The gathering formed part of the events held to mark Dubai’s selection as the Capital of Arab Media for 2020, he said.

Al Falasi further said the recognition acknowledges Dubai’s instrumental role in the growth of the industry and the success of its media strategy, in line with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

Salem Bel Youha, Acting Director of the Dubai Press Club, said that hosting the meetings of the Arab Electronic Media Committee allows DPC to contribute further to enhancing the positive impact of online media in the Arab world.

DPC is exploring expanded cooperation with the committee through its regular meetings that can generate more ideas to help achieve the joint vision of DPC and the Committee.

The meetings discussed ways in which decisions issued by the 50th ordinary session of the Arab Information Ministers Council held in July 2019 can be implemented. Subjects related to online media in the region, including a project to develop a code of conduct for online media, developed by the Arab League in partnership with academics and experts, were discussed. 

The Arab Electronic Media Committee also reviewed the implementation of the recommendations issued by a research seminar to counter the dangers of online games featuring violence and terrorism.

The members of the Arab Electronic Media Committee and the participating representatives issued a number of recommendations to combat security threats that Arab nations are encountering from digital media. These included encouraging educational institutions to design classroom and online curricula that can help prevent misuse of online media by the youth. The Committee also recommended implementing a proposal to create a team of experts to monitor online games featuring terrorism and violence.

Six Research Papers

A total of six research papers were also presented during the meetings. These addressed various topics such as national strategy for cybersecurity, defining social behaviours in the digital world, the role of the telecommunications sector in increasing the media industry’s financial returns, the role of educational games, the future of online media, and UAE’s experience in launching the E-Crime platform designed to protect victims of cyber crime and maintain security and stability.

The meetings form part of the year-long celebrations organised to mark Dubai’s selection as the Capital of Arab Media for 2020. DPC, in partnership with the Secretariat General of the Arab League and Watani Al Emarat Foundation, is  hosting three meetings of the Secretariat General of the Arab League from 12-16 January. These include the meetings of the Arab Electronic Media Committee, the 94th ordinary session of the Standing Committee for Arab Media and the 12th regular session of the Executive Office of the Council of Arab Information Ministers.