Photo: Mark Hill/CNN

CNN Chief International Correspondent and ABC News Global Affairs Anchor, Christiane Amanpour, will deliver the opening address at this year’s News Xchange, from 13 - 15 November, in Marrakech.

One of the industry's most respected and decorated journalists, Amanpour currently hosts the nightly world affairs program “Amanpour” on CNN International, although her stellar career in journalism spans three decades.

Amanpour told the EBU: "Events like News Xchange give all of us in the news industry the opportunity to take stock, regroup, remind ourselves why we’re doing what we do and challenge ourselves to do it better. I’m certain that this year’s event will be as stimulating and rewarding as ever and I look forward to being part of the conversation. As part of a network for whom the Africa story has long been an important one, I’m particularly delighted to be part of this event in its first time based on the African continent."

She has reported from most news hotspots, including Iraq, Afghanistan, North Korea, the Palestinian territories, Iran, Sudan, Israel, Pakistan, Somalia, Rwanda, the Balkans, Egypt, Libya, throughout Europe and the United States.

And she has interviewed many prominent world leaders, such as Iranian Presidents Mohammad Khatami and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Presidents of Afghanistan and Sudan, Prime Ministers and Presidents of Israel and Presidents of the Palestinian Authority, as well as Muammar Gaddafi and Hosni Mubarak during the Arab Spring.

British-Iranian-born Amanpour has won an array of journalism awards, including an inaugural Television Academy Honor; nine News and Documentary Emmy Awards; four George Foster Peabody Awards and many more.

Managing Director of News Xchange, Amy Selwyn said: "News Xchange is the industry's most thought-provoking conversation for the world's news communities. We could not have asked for a more exciting and dynamic speaker to kick off this conversation and to inspire us in Marrakech. We're very proud and honored."

To attend News Xchange 2013, register here.