Hanoi (VNA) – As the host of the 44th Executive Board Meeting ofthe Organisation of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA) from April 18-20, theVietnam News Agency (VNA) has affirmed its role at the regional multilateralpress forum.

TheHanoi meeting, themed “For a professional and innovative journalism,” willgather leaders of the 44 OANA member news agencies from 35 countries.

The OANA was established in Bangkok, Thailand, onDecember 22, 1961, at an initiative of the United Nations Educational,Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

Itaims to facilitate information dissemination and exchange between news agenciesin Asia-Pacific – a dynamic region that makes up more than half of the globalpopulation.

TheOANA members, including many major agencies, are responsible for two-thirds ofinformation circulated throughout the world. Everyday, they publish around 200news stories, photos and video clips on the OANA website at //www.oananews.org/.

Theannual OANA Executive Board Meeting is held rotationally by Executive Board members.It offers a chance for delegates to share experience in organisation and developmentof news agencies, get updated on global press development trends, and discussmeasures to consolidate cooperation between the agencies.

Sincejoining the OANA in 1969, the VNA has proven itself as one of the activemembers of the organisation. The agency was elected to the OANA Executive Boardfor two consecutive terms, with each lasting for three years.

TheVNA hosted the OANA Executive Board Meeting in 1989, 1999 and 2005, activelycontributing to completing the organisation’s targets.

FromJune 17-18, 1989, the agency organised the 10th OANA Executive BoardMeeting, the 10th Technical Group Meeting and the sixth Editorial Workshop.

Openingthe 10th OANA Executive Board Meeting, Vice Chairman of the Councilof Ministers Nguyen Khanh highlighted the important role of information andcommunication in relations between individuals and collectives in each country,as well as in the development of friendship and cooperation between countries.

Thedelegates adopted a review report of the meeting and an action programme for theOANA in 1990 in order to continue realising the targets of enhancingcooperation between regional news agencies, improving OANA news quality on theANN in terms of both content and technology, expanding the exchange of photonews, training journalists and technicians, and pushing ahead with thecomputerisation of the information work of the news agencies, contributing tosafeguarding peace, building stable friendship and cooperation for mutualdevelopment between countries in the region, and establishing internationalorder in information and communication.

The20th OANA Executive Board Meeting in Hanoi on October 26-27, 1999,saw the participation of 29 delegates representing nine out of the 11 membersof the OANA Executive Board.

Inhis opening remarks, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Khiem said the coming intobeing and existence of the OANA has signaled efforts by journalists to contributeto equal integration, cooperation and friendship between countries, forregional peace, friendship, security and development.

TheVietnamese Government highly values the support and endeavours of the OANAmember agencies, he said.

Thedelegates agreed on the need to reform the news agencies to raise their competivenessin the new context and improve the efficiency of collaboration between theagencies, especially in professionalism and technical skills.

The27th OANA Executive Board Meeting and the 21st meeting ofthe Editorial and Technical Experts Group took place in Hanoi on October 3,2005.

Addressingthe event, Deputy PM Khiem stressed the importance of information and of theOANA member news agencies, explaining that information is a tool that servesthe governance and management of each nation, an effective equipment to expandexchanges and increase mutual understanding between countries, a source ofknowledge for the public and resources for socio-economic development.

Participants agreed on the necessity ofstudying measures to spread information quickly to the public when naturaldisasters occur while applying advanced technology to diversify services.

They also touched upon challenges posed by themushrooming of websites and increasing number of internet users. Given that,news agencies need to maintain the speed, accuracy and reliability ofinformation.

With the role of a “State news bank”, the VNAperforms its function as the State news agency and provides official andmainstream news for its partners at home and abroad via 15 news departments ofdomestic and foreign service.

Boasting a network of 63 bureaus in all thecities and provinces nationwide and 30 overseas bureaus across the fivecontinents, the VNA has a strong contingent of reporters and editors workingall over the country and in most of the key locations around the world, which createsa unique advantage for it. 

With more than 60 media products by more than1,300 reporters and editors out of its 2,500-strong staff, the VNA is now themedia office having the largest number of products and forms in the country:bulletins, photos, television programmes, dailies, weeklies, monthlies,magazines, pictorials, books, TV channel, e-newspapers and informationprogrammes on mobile platforms. 

The agency also delivers news in the largestnumber of languages. In addition to official Vietnamese-language news providedfor domestic and foreign media outlets, stories for foreign services arewritten in English, Chinese, French and Spanish, not to mention print ande-newspapers in 10 languages: Vietnamese, Lao, Khmer, Chinese, Japanese,Korean, Russian, English, French and Spanish.

The VNA has bilateral and multilateralpartnership with more than 40 international news agencies and pressorganisations in the world and is a member of the Organisation of Asia-PacificNews Agencies (OANA).

The agency’s official news is widely publishedon communication channels of its partners, contributing to improving theeffectiveness of disseminating Vietnam’s external information to internationalfriends.

Throughout over seven decades of fighting,construction and development closely associated with the country's historicmilestones, the VNA is the first press agency of the country to be awarded thetitles “Labour Hero in the renewal period” and “Hero of the People’s ArmedForces”. Additionally, it has also been honoured twice with the Gold StarOrder, Ho Chi Minh Order, and first-class Independence Order, along with manyother distinctions.-VNA