The Sixth BRICS Media Forum kicked off Saturday in Johannesburg, South Africa, with a call to strengthen the voices of developing countries.
About 200 representatives from around 100 media, think tanks and international organisations from some 30 countries held discussions under the theme “BRICS and Africa: Strengthening Media Dialogue for a Shared and Impartial Future”.
The media in BRICS countries have significant responsibilities in this era and have vast space for cooperation, said Fu Hua, president of Xinhua News Agency, at the opening ceremony of the forum.
To boost the development of high-quality cooperation among BRICS media, Fu, also executive chairman of the BRICS Media Forum, will be promoting the shared values of humanity, jointly pushing for the construction of a fairer and more equitable international order, better telling BRICS stories in the new era, and jointly promoting cultural exchanges and mutual learning among civilisations.
Dakota Legoete, member of the National Executive Committee of the African National Congress, spoke during the opening of the forum. “Since its establishment in 2015, the BRICS Media Forum has become an important platform to amplify the voice of BRICS countries,” he said.
Andrey Kondrashov, director general of Russia’s TASS news agency, said that over the past decade, the forum has become a distinctive and iconic platform for discussing media cooperation among member states. He also called for BRICS media to collaborate in combating disinformation and safeguarding the interests of developing countries.
The BRICS Media Forum has made significant contributions to amplifying the international voice of member states and promoting globalisation, with peace and cooperation being its main objectives, said Helio Doyle, president of the Brazilian Communications Company.
The BRICS Media Forum was proposed by Xinhua News Agency in 2015 and undertaken jointly with leading media outlets from Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa.
The sixth forum, co-organised by Xinhua News Agency and China Energy Investment Corporation (China Energy), as well as organisations from South Africa, seeks to promote practical cooperation among BRICS media.