Jerusalem, 16 November, 2022 (TPS) — The second day of the Global Media Congress in the United Arab Emirates focused on issues of tolerance on Wednesday. The conference — the first in what is hoped will be an annual event — will enable people in the media industry to network, exchange ideas and explore areas of cooperation. More than 1,200 journalists, media executives and publishers are in Abu Dhabi for the gathering.

A charter of tolerance signed in advance by directors of news agencies from across the world was presented.

“We the undersigned are convinced that the theme of tolerance deserves constant follow-up in order to ensure peaceful co-existence of diverse faiths, identities, ideologies and viewpoints within and beyond the borders of our respective countries,” the charter said.

It also included a commitment to “exchange and publicize news stories related to tolerance.”

Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak al Nahyan, the UAE Minister of State for Tolerance stressed that the media plays an important role in “shaping the domestic and international societies to adopt values of tolerance and fraternity.”

Directly addressing the visiting journalists, Sheikh Nahyan said, “You have the obligation to enable your viewers to learn about other people’s cultures, and help them get to know each other.”

Signatories included Amotz Eyal, CEO of the Tazpit Press Service. TPS is a non-profit international news agency based in Israel.

“The news cannot be focused on headlines of if it bleeds, it leads,” Eyal said from Jerusalem. “People need to know the good stories from other countries, of tolerance and integration. I’m happy that Israel is one of the world’s leading countries in terms of acceptance of the other and interfaith cooperation.”

The conference concludes on Thursday.