Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) 44th General Assembly to convene in Tehran, Iran

Associated meetings including the Technical, Sports and Programme Committee meetings and the Administrative Council meeting will take place from 29 October to 1 November.

On 1 November, the annual ABU/FES seminar for broadcasters from developing countries will also be held. The topic this year is "Bridging the Digital Divide - the Public Service Broadcasting Perspective."

The second day of the General Assembly on 4 November will feature a half day 'special topic' discussion on "Staying relevant as broadcasters in the age of convergence."

Speakers will include Tai Keen Man, Deputy Director-General, RTHK-Hong Kong; Fritz Pleitgen, President, European Broadcasting Union; Hasan Khojasteh, Vice President for Radio, IRIB-Iran; Ashish Padhan, Managing Director, GlobeCast, South and Southeast Asia; and Choi Chun Ai, Managing Director, Global Affairs Division, KBS-Korea.

On the afternoon of 4 November, a professional discussion will take place on the topic "Is there a role for media diplomacy in conflict and post-conflict resolution in the Asia-Pacific region?"

Speakers will include Parni Hadi, President, RRI-Indonesia; Reza Saidabadi, Assistant Professor, University of Tehran and IRIB Advisor; and Jun Ogawa, Director of International Affairs, TBS-Japan.

The annual ABU Prizes presentations will take place at the Aseman Cultural & Artistic Center on the evening of 3 November.

More than 300 delegates have registered for the annual meetings, of whom nearly 200 will be staying on for the General Assembly on 3-4 November.

The numbers do not include accompanying persons who will be joining the delegates for an excursion to the historic city of Isfahan in central Iran on 2 November.

ABU Secretary-General, David Astley, said the 2007 General Assembly would be an important one for the ABU as it would be approving a new Strategic Plan for the period 2007-13 which would involve adopting five new strategic initiatives, several of which would assist members to develop and exploit new content delivery opportunities.

"We will also be updating members on initiatives that have been taken in implementing Emergency Warning Broadcasting Systems (EWBS) in the region since the adoption of the ABU EWBS Declaration in Beijing last year," he added.

The ABU is a non-profit, non-government, professional association of broadcasting organisations, formed in 1964 to facilitate the development of broadcasting in the Asia-Pacific region and to organise cooperative activities amongst its members including State and private radio and television broadcasters, suppliers of telecoms, IT and audio-visual services in the Asia-Pacific.