ABU DHABI, 17th August, 2023 (WAM) -- The first edition of the Global Media Congress (GMC), which took place in Abu Dhabi in 2022, was praised by the heads of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) news agencies for the successes it added to the UAE's track record.

They also expressed the importance of making the event an annual occurrence.

They made this statement during their 22nd virtual meeting, where the Emirates News Agency (WAM) was represented by Ali Al Saad, Acting Deputy Director-General of WAM and Communication and International Relations Director.

The meeting's participants considered the UAE's offer to participate in a joint GCC pavilion at the GMC 2023, which will take place from 14th to 16th November at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC).

During the meeting, a joint application for GCC news agencies was approved by their media chiefs, enabling GCC citizens to access official news from the region.

The app will also feature live streams of various radio and TV channels and archives of images and videos. Committees have been formed to work on the app's development.

The meeting's participants also agreed to establish a technical media committee to improve the cooperation and coordination between GCC news agencies and facilitate the implementation of recommendations related to the app.

The app allows each country's authorised administrator to access its dashboard, extract data from various news sources in GCC countries and import it into a database.

The participants also discussed issues on the agenda of the meeting.