The 21st Asia Media Summit has concluded successfully in the Maldives.
The summit theme was “Maldives 2.0: From Tradition to Tech”, held at Villa Nautica from 11 to 13 May. It was jointly organised by the Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD) and Public Service Media (PSM), with over 300 delegates attending the event. Around 80 percent of participants were from overseas.
The summit included eight plenary sessions, including a high-level ministerial session on public media policy. Key discussions focused on challenges faced by media in small island nations, use and risks of artificial intelligence in media, digital transformation in broadcasting and the role of youth in the future of media.
The summit concluded with the adoption of the “Maldives 2.0 Declaration” and the presentation of an outcome report. South Korea was designated as the host of the 2027 Asia Media Summit, and Public Service Media (PSM) received a Special Award for Media Excellence for its contribution to media development.
On the sidelines of the summit, PSM held meetings with international media organisations, including Russia’s RT and representatives of BIMSTEC to discuss technical cooperation, content exchange, staff training and capacity building. PSM was represented at these meetings by its Managing Director Ahmed Shakeeb and Deputy Managing Director Abdulla Yamin. Meetings included sessions with Russia’s RT’s Head of Creative Projects Boris Gorlov, BIMSTEC Secretary General Indra Mani Pandey, and Sri Lanka’s Health and Mass Media Minister Dr Nalinda Japatissa, AIBD General Conference President and Thailand’s Government Public Relations Department’s Director General Sudruetai Lertkasem, Arab and International Cooperation’s Unit Head Feten Fradi.
Shakeeb said the summit helped strengthen international media partnerships and cooperation for future development of broadcasting.