The symposium, organized by the Communication Sciences Faculty of Pancasila University, was themed Peace Journalism and Conflict Resolution in Media and was opened by the Director-General of Learning and Student Affairs from the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education, Intan Ahmad, in Jakarta on Thursday.
He hoped that the event would allow participants from both developing and developed countries to exchange their views.
"The activity underlines the key points of educational reform within the Nawacita (nine priority agenda) of President Joko Widodo," Ahmad noted.
He elaborated on the specific points in the Nawacita that are being promoted by the symposium, adding that the first was to improve the quality of life of Indonesians through education and the second was to enhance the character of the nation by reorganizing the educational system and national curriculum.
Dean of the Pancasila University Communication Sciences Faculty Andi Faisal Bakti, President of the ORBICOM Bertrand Cabedoche, Rector of Pancasila University Wahono Sumaryono, and UNESCOs Program Specialist Fackson Banda were also present alongside the Director-General during the opening of the event.
Former Malaysian prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad and UNESCOs Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information Frank La Rue were among the list of keynote speakers.
ORBICOM is a communication studies organization under the umbrella of UNESCO that is based in Paris, France.
In Indonesia, ORBICOM has a branch called Communication and Sustainable Development, led by Pancasila Universitys Dean of Communication Science faculty Andi Faisal Bakti.
"This activity will contribute to enriching the notion of peace journalism, which needs to reemerge in the current situation of the world. The communication sector must contribute towards the effort to achieve a better world," Bakti revealed.
The issues that are scheduled to be discussed during the three-day event include the medias role in resolving conflict, peace journalism and its relation to the current global condition, freedom of expression, and the medias position in politics. (*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2017
