Muscat – The 31st congress of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), hosted by Oman Journalists Association, kicked off at Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre on Tuesday.

The triennial congress was opened by Sayyid Asaad bin Tarik al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for International Relations and Cooperation Affairs and Personal Representative of His Majesty the Sultan.

Sayyid Asaad welcomed the participants and praised the efforts of Oman Journalists Association in hosting “this great international press and media gathering”, stressing the sultanate’s pride in hosting the congress. He described it as an opportunity for the participants to learn about the renaissance of Oman in all fields, and the belief of the sultanate in the media and its role in the progress of nations.

He added that the media in Oman has witnessed a great transformation and has been able, with the support and care provided to it, keep pace with the developments and changes around the world.

The four-day meet’s agenda includes a wide spectrum of topics, particularly discussions on the impact of media of society, and a meeting of the Federation of Asia-Pacific Journalists (FAPAJ).

The sultanate proposed the establishment of the federation for journalists representing unions of the Asian and Pacific countries to IFJ in 2019.

During the congress, FAPAJ elected Sabina Inderjit from India as its president and Oman’s Salim Hamad al Jahwari as vice-president. Several presentations were made by regional representatives on affects of the COVID-19 pandemic on journalism and newsrooms. The IFJ Gender Council also held a meeting on Tuesday. The meeting reviewed the council’s work in the last three years.

The opening of the congress received wide international coverage owing to the fact that 350 journalists, representing associations from over 100 countries, are taking part.

The congress paid tributes to Shireen Abu Akleh of Al Jazeera who was recently killed in the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank.