Pakistan’s Minister of State for Federal Education and Professional Training Wajiha Qamar called for stronger cooperation among media institutions of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) member states at the first CICA Media Forum in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Qamar stressed the importance of responsible journalism, media literacy and cross-cultural engagement in addressing growing polarisation. She said social media and digital technologies can both expand communication and spread misinformation and divisive content, urging media to help bridge rather than deepen societal divides.

She also highlighted the need to integrate media literacy into education, enabling young people to critically assess information, verify its authenticity and identify content intended to create discord.

Qamar proposed a sustained CICA framework for media cooperation, including journalist exchanges, joint productions, content sharing, initiatives for young media professionals and collaborative digital platforms. She also called for greater participation of young journalists, students and digital content creators in shaping the region’s information landscape.