The International Press Institute (IPI) will hold its annual World Congress in Trinidad and Tobago, from 23-26 June 2012, the organization today officially announced. The 2012 World Congress will mark the return of IPI’s annual event to the Americas after 12 years – when the world’s media community last gathered in Boston, USA, in 2000 – and its first World Congress in the Caribbean.

IPI will hold its annual event in cooperation with its strategic partner in the region, the Association of Caribbean MediaWorkers (ACM), which co-chairs a local organizing committee comprising the Trinidad & Tobago Publishers & Broadcasters Association (TTPBA) and the Media Association of Trinidad and Tobago (MATT), among others.

On Tuesday, IPI Director Alison Bethel McKenzie and members of the local organizing committee met with Trinidad & Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who expressed her support for the Congress and her willingness to open the event.

Speaking about the decision to hold the Congress in Trinidad, Bethel McKenzie said: “We’re delighted to be holding next year’s IPI World Congress in Trinidad and Tobago. This region is often overshadowed by other parts of the world, but there are very real press freedom concerns in the Caribbean, and we hope to draw attention to these issues, both during the World Congress in 2012, and in the coming years. We also hope to increase the amount of attention given to very pressing media freedom issues in neighbouring countries in Latin America.”

Wesley Gibbings, president of the ACM, said: “The ACM is pleased to be intimately associated with this premier international media event. The Congress will serve to not only highlight the leading media issues of our time, but explore the unique concerns of the Caribbean region in a manner that has not been engaged by many international organisations over the years. In the midst of 10th anniversary observances this year, the ACM sees the hosting of the 62nd World Congress of the IPI next year as a flagship project signifying our preparedness for the coming years.”

Kiran Maharaj, president of the TTPBA, said: “The TTPBA is excited and proud that the IPI World Congress will be hosted in Trinidad in 2012, especially since next year marks 50 years of Independence for our country. This will be an opportunity for our local and regional media practitioners – journalists, managers and owners – to interact and learn from each other’s experiences and from those of our international colleagues, as we continue to develop and improve the quality of our journalism in print and electronic media.

“It is interesting to note that a lot of the issues we face locally and regionally are the same globally so the coming together of minds will be an opportunity for new ideas and fresh approaches to be discussed and adopted,” Maharaj added.

The IPI World Congress in Trinidad will be the only international media conference in 2012 bringing together editors, media executives and leading journalists from around the world and from all types of media – newspapers, magazines, TV and radio, news agencies and new media.

The Congress will feature a high-profile roster of speakers, panellists and moderators from print, broadcast and new media organizations, as well as renowned figures from the fields of politics, business, academia and civil society, providing a unique opportunity to interact with major players on a variety of current global issues and topics related to press freedom and the media industry in general.

The 2012 IPI World Congress in Trinidad and Tobago is expected to draw some 400 participants and their guests from around the world.