Jeddah, February 26, 2026 (WAFA) – The Palestinian News and Information Agency (WAFA) received the first edition of the Media Professionalism Award presented by the Union of News Agencies of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (UNA), during the Ramadan Forum celebrating the Union’s work on the “Building Bridges Between Islamic Schools of Thought” document on the second anniversary of its adoption, which was organized in Jeddah yesterday, Wednesday.
The award was presented by the Secretary General of the Muslim World League, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Karim Al-Issa, and the Director General of UNA, Mohammed bin Abdul Rabbo Al-Yami. It was received on behalf of the Wafa news agency by Ambassador Hadi Shibli, the Permanent Representative of the State of Palestine to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
Al-Yami stressed that the goal of launching the first edition of the Media Professionalism Award, which was won by the Palestinian News Agency “Wafa”, is to support and encourage news agencies in member states, and for the award to be a new addition to the international media scene that consolidates the values of responsibility and credibility, and confronts all forms of hatred and Islamophobia.
Regarding the Palestinian News Agency’s winning of the first edition of the award, he said that “Wafa” is still standing firm, providing daily reports and news services despite the ongoing violations by the Israeli occupation, which has continued to deliberately kill and imprison Palestinian journalists in an attempt to keep them from exposing its crimes, violations, and abuses that are renewed on a daily basis.
It is worth noting that the award comes within the framework of the most important joint initiatives between the Muslim World League and the Union of OIC News Agencies (UNA), represented by the “Jeddah Charter for Media Responsibility,” which was adopted during the international forum: “Media and its role in fueling hatred and violence: the dangers of misinformation and bias.” The Charter serves as a reference source and legal document for understanding the ethics of media work and regulating its practice. The Charter included the announcement of the “Union of OIC News Agencies Award for Media Professionalism,” which is granted to governmental and non-governmental bodies and institutions and individuals committed to media values.
It is worth mentioning that the Union of News Agencies of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (UNA), which includes 57 countries, which is the total number of member states of the organization, opened its first external office in Palestine in March of last year at the headquarters of the Palestinian News and Information Agency (WAFA) in the city of Ramallah.
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