Disseminating government messages through popular Arab culture, building young leaders and engineering change, amongst key IGCF 2022 recommendations
The 11th annual International Government Communication Forum comes to a successful close,
attracting 17,400 guests and visitors during the two-day event
Sharjah, 29 September 2022
The 11th annual edition of the International Communication Forum (IGCF) came to a successful close on Thursday (September 29) with a 9-point recommendations list, which has emerged from two days of intensive deliberations, including a call to governments to partner with Arabic drama production companies to release works that can reach a global audience; preparing plans to build a culture of societal adaptation to crises, leading to 'engineering change,' and developing curricula to build influential leaders.
Themed 'Challenges and Solutions', the two-day forum organised by the International Government Communication Centre (IGCC), an initiative of the Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGMB), welcomed 17,400 visitors to 7 main discussion sessions, 6 preliminary activities, 10 inspiring speeches, 6 workshops, 13 interactive platforms and 40 side activities that shined light on a number of pressing humanitarian, cultural, economic, environmental, and developmental issues and the role of government communications in providing innovative solutions to overcome them.
Overcoming challenges
During the closing ceremony held in the presence of HE Tariq Saeed Allay, Director General of SGMB; HE Alya Al Suwaidi, Director of SGMB, said in her keynote speech: "After two days of conversations and deliberations on the role and impact of government communications to overcome challenges, IGCF 2022 has charted a set of recommendations - the fruit of the visions and ideas of 160 senior public officials, thought leaders and experts on the future of governments and the world".
She added: "We hope these recommendations would serve as a solid foundation for developing a road map for government communication departments in the region and the world to overcome challenges and reach the desired global stability."
The SGMB director thanked everyone who participated in the forum and contributed to the success.
IGCF 2022 recommendations
The culmination of this two-day event is a list of 9 key recommendations, which was presented by Al Suwaidi during the closing ceremony. The recommendations include:
- A call to governments and their departments to develop digital platforms to encourage the participation of individuals, the private sector, influencers and content makers in voting for solutions to challenges and adopt the ones that win majority support.
- The development of a Government Communication Governance Guide in partnership with concerned authorities and communication experts.
- Creation of a specialised linguistic guide for crisis management with the most appropriate words and terminologies for public discourse.
- Activating partnerships between governments and Arab drama production houses to deliver positive messages and create change on a global level; and invest in Arab drama productions that carry cultural values and celebrate the region's heritage.
- Development of educational curricula and training programmes that contribute to building influential young leaders as well as successive generations of youth capable of finding solutions to societal challenges.
- A call for partnerships between communication teams in economic and academic institutions and study centres specialised in envisioning the economic future and developing preemptive solutions to probable economic problems.
- Preparation of well-studied plans and programmes for all members of society aligned with their value systems and their needs in order to build a culture of adapting to crises and finding solutions by 'engineering change'.
- Preparations for the future of communication leveraging prospects created by Artificial Intelligence, Metaverse and emerging media technologies.
- Develop government programmes to protect cultural diversity, maintain a balance between cultures, and respect differences and privacy.
Honouring of partners, sponsors and speakers
At the end of the closing ceremony, HE Tariq Saeed Allay and HE Alya Al Suwaidi honoured speakers, partners and sponsors for their participation and their support in making this edition a success. The honoured entities were: Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Sharjah Broadcasting Authority; Sharjah Media City (Shams); Nama Women Advancement Establishment; The Big Heart Foundation; Department of Statistics and Community Development, Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority; Expo Centre Sharjah; Sharjah Asset Management; Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa); House of Wisdom; Rubu' Qarn Foundation; 01 GOV; UAE University; Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services (SCHS); Arab Youth Center; Sky News Arabia and its academy; Dubai Media Incorporated; New Media Academy; Emirates News Agency (WAM); Sharjah Press Club; Dar Al Khaleej; Abu Dhabi Media; Artificial Intelligence Journalism for Research and Forecasting; Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); Arab Administrative Development Organization (ARADO) - Arab League; UNHCR; Emirates Airlines and ENEX.
-ENDS-
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