Following two days of working sessions and rich scientific discussions on the concepts, values and latest developments in media and information education, the International Conference, “Media Education: Horizons and Aspirations”, concluded its proceedings with a series of practical and applicable recommendations. These include the importance of consolidating the values of global citizenship to help build a more just and peaceful world through the development of media education, calling for the development of a series of guidelines to strengthen the presence of this type of education, raising young people’s awareness of digital ethics in the production and circulation of content, and establishing a professional, legislative and ethical code of honor for the use of artificial intelligence in the media field.

ICESCO and the Naif Arab University for Security Sciences (NAUSS) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia organized this two-day conference at ICESCO headquarters, in cooperation with the League of Arab States represented by the Information and Communication Department of the Technical Secretariat of the Council of Arab Ministers of Information, and the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication in the Kingdom of Morocco. The conference produced a series of recommendations, including calling on educational authorities to integrate media education into curricula in order to raise a generation capable of understanding the media field; training curriculum developers, teachers and media professionals; capitalizing on artificial intelligence to produce responsible media content; and supporting research and studies in the field of media education.

The recommendations of the international conference, attended by eminent international figures and specialized researchers from 16 countries, stressed the importance of coordination and cooperation between the media and educational and security institutions, consolidating the role of the media in promoting human values, urging media institutions to contribute to media education programs, and creating interactive digital spaces that bring young people together.

The second day of the conference opened with a session on, “Prerequisites for integrating media education in the education system”, followed by a session on, “The foundations for the conscious management of media, social networks and information sources”, and a session on “Artificial intelligence and the future of media education”. During these sessions, scientific papers were presented and rich discussions took place in which participants exchanged ideas and proposals on media education.

At the closing session, Dr. Ahmed AlBanyan, Head of the Section of Education for All at ICESCO’s Education Sector, read out the conference’s recommendations. Dr. Koumbou Barry, Head of the Sector, along with Dr. Khalid bin Abdulaziz Alharfash, Vice President for External Relations at Naif Arab University, gave closing remarks commending participants’ valuable input and the quality of the Conference’s recommendations.