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Reporting on Violence and EmergenciesRegional Media Conference for East and Southeast Asia and the PacificCLOSING REMARKS 14 Oct 2011

Christoph Sutter, Deputy Head of Delegation, ICRC Delegation in the Philippines

Hon. Herminio "Sonny" Coloma, Secretary of the Presidential Communications OperationsOffice

Hon. Richard Gordon, Chairman of the Philippine Red Cross,

Distinguished speakers and panellists of the Conference,

Representatives of the media from the Philippines and the Asia-Pacific region,

Colleagues from the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement,

Ladies and gentlemen:

I have first a confession to make: it is late and I do not have the rhetorical capacity of Veronica

Pedrosa, Secretary Coloma or Chairman Richard Gordon. Therefore, I shall keep my speechshort.

In the name of the ICRC, we want to thank you for your participation in this event. It is the firsttime that such a sizeable group of senior editors and leading media personalities from the Asia-Pacific region joined the ICRC to discuss the challenges of reporting on situations of violenceand other emergencies.

With a long history in Asia and the Pacific, the ICRC has adapted its activities and humanitarianresponse to the diversity of situations that are present in the region. When we started to workhere in the Philippines 50 years ago, we visited only political detainees. Today, we are workingon a diversified range of activities still driven by humanitarian needs. We work with the national

authorities to address globally the causes of overcrowding in prisons and jails; we enhancelivelihoods of vulnerable communities affected by armed conflicts, violence or hardships such asnatural disasters and forced displacements with our main partner, the Philippine Red Cross.And we talk to the media now!

We need to engage with the media on key issues that have an enormous impact on people'slives. You play an important role in helping us to identify and respond to humanitarian needs.

This conference is a valuable way to enrich the dialogue and approaches tackling issues at thelevel of the Asia Pacific region. We recognize that the media in Asia Pacific countries representa major and growing source of influence worldwide, and we want to hear your views. We want

to hear your perspectives on important regional issues that significantly affect people's lives andlivelihoods, such as migration, environmental degradation, and rising inequalities.

You report the news, but you also form opinion and that, in turn, shapes events anddevelopments in society. You, the media of Asia Pacific, have a key role to play in raisingawareness of violence, emergencies and other issues faced by vulnerable communities.

In recent years, there have been huge changes in the way facts and information are gathered,shared, received, and talked about. You had to adapt to a changing environment. We mustrecognize that technological and social developments have an impact on media coverage ofconflict, emergencies and their related humanitarian consequences. These changes have alsoan impact on the conduct of our own humanitarian activities. Some of these thematics were

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tackled today at this Conference: the impact of social media, "citizen journalism", mediaindependence, the responsibility of media in emergencies, and the safety of journalists.

We wish to thank the participantsa distinguished group of media leaders, movers andshakersfor their efforts resulting in today's declaration, making recommendations and sharingbest practices. We thank you for your openness and willingness to reflect on these issues today.

We are hopeful this event shall not be a one-off initiative. As follow-up:

we can expand the network of media professionals supporting this venture on Facebook,Twitter and other social media;

we will share the presentations and speeches, which will be made available shortly on theICRC website; and

in the "old-fashioned" way, we encourage you to stay in touch with the ICRC delegations inyour respective countriesmy colleagues in the region would certainly be interested inadvancing today's discussions.

and finally we are pleased to say that there will be another regional conference with AsiaPacific media in 2013

We all hope that you will take these proposals to cover situations of violence and emergenciessafely, fairly, accurately and responsibly forward and promote them among your colleaguesand counterparts in Asia Pacific and the rest of the world.

We hope this Conference today shall contribute to a positive and concrete difference for thelives of many people in the Asia Pacific Region.

Maraming salamat po sa inyong pagdalo. Thank you all for coming. I wish you all a very good

evening and a safe return home.