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GTI Workshop Reinforces Collaboration and Exchange in NE Asia
Communication and understanding is crucial for multilateral cooperation in NE Asia
BEIJING, 24 May 2010 – The workshop on “Promoting the Greater Tumen Initiative (GTI) and Northeast Asian Cooperation” concluded on 24 May 2010 in Beijing, strengthening the dialogue and partnerships among different stakeholders on NE Asian cooperation and enhancing the visibility of GTI as a regional cooperation mechanism supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The Workshop, jointly organized by GTI and the Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD) and hosted by the State Administration of Radio, Film and TV (SARFT) under the framework of the Asia Media Summit 2010, China, is part of the efforts by the GTI member countries (China, Republic of Korea, Mongolia and Russian Federation) to raise public awareness and encourage more active involvement of non-governmental organisations in regional cooperation. 
Around eighty participants from major Northeast Asian mass media, central and local governments, international development agencies, NGOs, leading research institutes, and the business community gathered together to openly exchange perspectives on the challenges and opportunities for multilateral cooperation in NE Asia, and the role of media in development.
“UNDP remains deeply commitment to support the over-arching goal of promoting regional cooperation initiative for achieving the Millennium Development Goals”, said Napoleon Navarro, Deputy Country Director of UNDP China and Co-Chair of the Workshop. He urged firm commitments from member countries, active participation from local governments, close cooperation with relevant international organizations, and more support from the media.
Initiated by UNDP in 1991, GTI has been broadly regarded by regional governments as a platform and catalyst for policy dialogue and economic cooperation in the region, playing a significant role in the key development areas such as transportation, energy, tourism, investment and environment. 
In his keynote address, H.E. Tsedenjav Sukhbaatar, the Mongolian Ambassador to China, expressed Mongolia’s support and great interest in GTI activities and projects, and explained Mongolia’s project plans on mining and transport development in collaboration with neighbouring countries in NE Asia.
Reviewing regional cooperation in NE Asia, Sergey Tsyplakov, Trade Representative of Russian Embassy in China suggested that the conditions for Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in NE Asia have not ripened yet, but there is an opportunity for joint implementation of projects of common interest, and the interaction through GTI now appears to be optimal.
Nataliya Yacheistova, Director of UNDP Tumen Secretariat and Co-Chair of the Workshop, after introducing the recent progress of GTI, emphasized that fruitful regional cooperation requires joint efforts of governments and the whole community in the NE Asia region, and stated that the media in particular should be actively engaged to enhance publicity and information sharing.
“GTI is on the right track in initiating networking and branding for regional cooperation,” commented Juergen Steiger, Deputy Country Director of GTZ China, a German government aid agency. In recent years, GTZ has provided considerable financial and technical support to various regional projects in NE Asia.
In addition, participants exchanged views on topics such as educational cooperation and exchange, infrastructural development, public-private partnerships and media’s engagement in regional cooperation and development.
Mr. Javad Mottaghi, Director of AIBD addressed the importance of such event to bring together the media and other stakeholders for constructive dialogue, and called for strategic media partnerships in the NE Asia region.
Acknowledging the importance of media for economic development, Hu Zhengrong, Vice President of Communication University of China, said that mass media need to be more proactive and accurate in providing coverage on regional issues to the public.
Media professionals from Jilin TV, Joongang Ilbo and NHK presented their observations on media’s role in regional cooperation and development, suggesting that the media should be more responsible and balanced in reporting, and contribute to strengthen exchange and mutual understanding in NE Asia.
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For more information, please visit the GTI website at www.tumenprogramme.org
or contact the Tumen Secretariat by phone at +86 10 6532 6871
Mr. ZHU Shu
Senior Program Officer (Communications & Partnerships)
UNDP Tumen Secretariat
E-mail: shu.zhu@public.un.org.cn
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