KUALA LUMPUR: The Asean Committee on Culture and Information (Asean-COCI) has approved three communication projects worth approximately US$117,000 (about RM520,205) for Malaysia during its meeting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia today.
The Communications Ministry, in a statement, said the approved projects include the "Guidelines for the Safe and Responsible Use of Social Media for Asean", spearheaded by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), with an allocation of US$39,879, and the "Seminar on Developing Training Modules for Combating Fake News in Asean 2025", led by the Tun Abdul Razak Broadcasting and Information Institute (IPPTAR), costing US$47,061.
Another project, "Colour of Asean (3rd Series)", by Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM), received a grant of US$30,000 under Asean-COCI funding.
The approval came after Malaysia's delegation, led by Ministry of Communications Deputy Secretary-General of Strategic Communications and Creative Industry, Nik Kamaruzaman Nik Husin, presented three project papers at the Asean-COCI meeting, which was attended by delegates from 10 Asean member states, with Timor-Leste participating as an observer under the Asean+1 framework.According to the ministry, Malaysia's three proposals were among 11 new project papers presented by four Asean countries during the meeting, chaired by Has Sam Ath, Under Secretary of State at the Cambodian Ministry of Information.
Meanwhile, Nik Kamaruzaman said the approved projects would significantly benefit Malaysia, especially in its role as Asean Chair in 2025, by advancing communication and media development across the region. These initiatives include the creation of a comprehensive training module aimed at addressing the issue of fake news holistically, benefiting not only Malaysia but the entire Asean community, he said.
"This also reflects Asean's confidence in Malaysia, as evidenced by the approval of substantial funding for projects to be implemented in Kuala Lumpur," he said.
Malaysia's delegation included Dr. Christina Yeo Ken Yin, Secretary of the International Relations Division of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture, and IPPTAR Director-General Roslan Ariffin.
