Public Service Media (PSM) Chairperson Aminath Namza has called on the media to give greater prominence to ideas, experiences and solutions emerging from small nations and the Global South, stressing that meaningful exchange between countries must be based on mutual learning.

Speaking at the Asia-Pacific Media Forum in Shenzhen, China, Namza said small and developing nations are often viewed internationally primarily through their vulnerabilities and challenges. While these stories must be told, she said the world should also hear what these countries have achieved and what they can contribute.

Namza pointed to the Maldives’ generational tobacco ban, introduced under the leadership of President Dr Mohamed Muizzu for those born on or after 1 January 2007, as an example of an initiative from one of the world’s smallest nations that can contribute to wider global conversations on public health.

“It is a bold public-health initiative from one of the world’s smallest nations,” Namza said, stressing the media’s responsibility to bring such ideas and experiences to wider audiences.

Namza also highlighted important development experiences from China that the world can learn from, including China’s eradication of absolute poverty and progress in green development. She also highlighted President Xi Jinping’s Global Development Initiative as a platform for sharing development experiences and solutions.

She stressed that genuine mutual learning means recognising that every society, regardless of its size or level of development, has experiences to share and lessons to learn from others.

Namza also addressed the responsibilities of journalism in the age of artificial intelligence, stressing the growing importance of authenticity, verification and trust.

“AI can generate content. But journalism must continue to generate trust,” she said.

Concluding her remarks, Namza said civilisation exchange and mutual learning begin with recognising that every society has something to share and every society has something to learn, calling on media across the Asia-Pacific to serve as a bridge between societies and help ideas and experiences travel across borders.