“In the past year, the IPI has done so much in defending the right to freedom of expression and I would like to express my utmost respect to it,” Mr. Den-yi Wu, Premier of the Republic of China (Taiwan), noted during the closing ceremony of the 2011 IPI World Congress in Taipei, Taiwan (ROC) on Tuesday.

The closing ceremony ended three days of panel discussions and meetings on the topic of this year’s IPI World Congress: “The Asian Media Century? 21st Century Developments from New Technologies to Press Freedom.”

Addressing the much-discussed issue of ‘new media’, Premier Wu noted that “we need to understand what the needs of the people are today; whether we can use the new media to help people access information.”

He added: “I hope that all media organizations can uphold the highest standards to bring news to the people around the world.”

The premier’s speech was followed by a presentation of the planned 2012 IPI World Congress in Trinidad and Tobago. Frances Lakatoo, Representative of the IPI Trinidad & Tobago Local Organizing Committee – which includes the Association of Caribbean Media Workers (ACM) and the Trinidad and Tobago Publishers and Broadcasters Association (TTPBA) – announced the venue of IPI’s next annual world congress, to be held from 23 – 26 June 2012 in Port-of-Spain.

In his closing remarks, IPI Chairman Carl-Eugen Eberle thanked the Taiwan organising committee, represented by Taiwan’s United Daily News, and the government of Taiwan for their hospitality during the congress.