70 global experts, 37 specialised discussions to feature in Sharjah's International Govt Communication Forum 2019

• Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi: Human aspect crucial to ‘positive change model’ adopted in government communication strategies, globally
• Tariq Saeed Allay: IGCF keen to offer its platform as a launch pad for new initiatives and activities, in line its objectives
• Jawaher Al Naqbi: Communication’s key mission is first and foremost to elevate communities and empower all community members

Sharjah:

The 8th edition of the International Government Communication Forum (IGCF), to be held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohamed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, will take place at Expo Centre Sharjah on March
20–21, 2019.   

The Sharjah forum is set to assert that the responsibility of overcoming developmental challenges does not solely lie with governments anymore; it is now a shared responsibility with citizens and strategic partners, particularly media. Themed ‘Behavioural Change Towards Human Development,’ the high-profile 2-day global summit will shed light on key challenges and issues in the field of government communication in motivating individuals to play a key role in the development process.

The organisers, International Government Communication Centre (IGCC), will be convening 70 speakers, including international media and PR stalwarts, policy experts, social entrepreneurs, and communications and technology experts, who will come together to deliver on IGCF 2019’s extensive discussion agenda featuring 37 discussion panels, inspirational speeches, sessions, workshops and interactive forums.

These details were announced today (Monday) at a media briefing by the IGCC, a Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGMB) subsidiary, at Al Majaz Amphitheatre. Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Chairman of Sharjah Media Council (SMC), HE Tariq Saeed Allay, Director of Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGMB) and Jawaher Al Naqbi, Director of IGCC spoke on the occasion. A host of representatives from government directorates and departments in Sharjah, event sponsors, and local and international media were in attendance.

A whole gamut of most relevant issues and topics facing the media industry today like fake news and its detrimental impact on government communication efforts, the role of government communications in motivating and empowering citizenry, the possibility of governments joining forces with private and academic sectors to design and implement long-term communication strategies, the need to harness individual responsibility as a key solution to future challenges, training, capacity-building and attracting communication competencies to bridge the gap in an era of rapid technological changes, and more, will be debated at the two-day forum.

Government communication and positive human behaviour

Speaking on the occasion, Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Chairman of Sharjah Media Council said: “When we study the development of some countries, we see that they adopted long-term communication strategies that were consolidated through an advanced approach focused on the ‘positive change model’ applied by government entities. One important branch of this model is aimed at building positive change in the minds and outlook of communities, and empower them to partner with governments to further the country’s inclusive development project.”

He added: “Upon the successful implementation of these strategies, which resulted in shaping positive behaviour around issues of national interest, next big steps were taken to turn these successful practices into accepted community culture through the development of laws and systems to influence behavioural change. This institutionalises the government-public relationship and collaboration to together contribute to improving efforts, be it in education, economy, healthcare, security, social and humanitarian fields.”

Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi asked the audience: “What can government communication do to change people’s behaviours, enabling them to enhance their participation in the development process and face its growing challenges?” He then went on to suggest that the IGCF 2019 will help answer this question and others related to inspiring people and making them powerful stakeholders in national development through good government communication.

New features of IGCF

HE Tariq Saeed Allay, Director of SGMB, said that the IGCF continually innovates to not only include new discussions to enrich the forum, but to also offer its platform as a launchpad for new initiatives and activities, which are in line with the forum’s objectives. “This year, a new behavioural change e-game platform, titled ‘Sharjah 2071’ in collaboration with Sharjah’s Department of e-Government and Sharjah Children will be launched; alongside a special SGMB release themed ‘Government Communication… Practices and Studies’. The event will also see several interactive platforms, one for the ‘Sheikh Sultan Award for Celebrating the Spirit of Youth’, and researcher platform with several features including one that will shed light on youth challenge in innovation.”  

Allay added: “IGCF will also be featuring an Expo 2020 Dubai platform, which will unveil the ’50 Years of Expo’ exhibition to encapsulate the UAE’s engagement with world expos since 1970 until now. They will also be hosting an interactive session to highlight how they are in the process of hiring 3,000 young volunteers to help deliver a successful Expo 2020. The 2nd Sharjah Youth Forum will be hosted in collaboration with Sharjah Youth Council. The Sharjah Press Club with be at the venue with interesting social experiments, and there will be lots more.”  

For her part, Jawaher Al Naqbi, Director of IGCC, said: “IGCF’s theme ‘Behavioural Change Towards Human Development’ underlines that communication’s key mission is first and foremost to elevate communities and empower all community members. The upcoming edition will explore the future of many countries in the region and the world, shedding light on the technical and technological changes that are leading the humankind towards a new age.”

Since its inception, IGCF has been dedicated to hosting renowned regional and global experts who have hand-on experience in the field along with a wealth of academic expertise, to share important lessons they have picked up throughout their professional careers in the government communication field, she added.

Strong focus on youth participation   

On the forum’s second day, Rubu' Qarn Foundation for Creating Leaders and Innovators, will be convening young representatives of Sharjah’s children and youth organisations and select UAE officials for a special session, which will explore ways to intensify the youth’s role in participatory development. The session will shed light on the centrality of the UAE’s youth in the nation’s cultural, societal and developmental journey, and seek to learn from the young participants their aspirations and interests. An ‘Arab Government Communication Leaders Forum’ will also be hosted on the sidelines of IGCF 2019, on March 21. 

Global communication, media experts in attendance

The Sharjah forum will host renowned local and international dignitaries and experts, including HE Hessa bint Issa Buhmaid, UAE Minister of Community Development, Prof Hamid M K Al Naimiy, Chancellor of the University of Sharjah, Dr Lamya Nawaf Fawwaz, Executive Director, Brand & Strategic Initiatives at Masdar; and Andrew Keen, acclaimed author and keynote speaker from the UK. 

Other speakers include Rene Carayole, global speaker on ‘Inspirational Leadership and Culture’ from UK, Rabee Zureikat, founder of the Zikra Initiative, one of the most important initiatives in Communities Exchange Programmes and winner of many global awards, from Jordan, HE Abdulla bin Touq, Secretary General of the UAE Cabinet, Dr Abdullah Al Maghlouth, Ministry of Media Spokesman and Director General of the Centre for Government Communication, KSA, Sir Craig Oliver, Director of Politics and Communications for David Cameron, former Prime Minister of UK and Michelle Gielan, the bestselling author of Broadcasting Happiness and positive psychology expert from US.

Suzanne Afanah, Founder and Managing Partner at Advvise, Jordan; Marc Prensky, Founder of the education non-profit Global Education for Future, USA; Graham Brown Martin, Founder of the global movement ‘Learning Without Frontiers’ (LWF), UK, are also part of the forum’s illustrious speaker list.

The line-up includes Dr Ali Al Marri, Executive President, Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government, Dr Abdullatif Al Shamsi, Vice Chancellor of UAE Higher Colleges of Technology, Dr Adiy Tweissi, Assistant Professor and Director of E-Learning Center, Princess Sumaya University for Technology, Jordan, Dr David Katz, “poet laureate” of physical and psychological health promotion around the world, USA, Meik Wiking, author and happiness expert from Denmark; Dr Hanan Saleem, consulting pharmacist and health coach, and  Reem BinKaram, Director of NAMA Women Advancement Establishment, UAE.

Fireside chats and inspirational speeches

A special session at IGCF will host the renowned US media personality Larry King, who has over 60 years of experience in media. The Emmy and Peabody winner will offer key insights on how governments can effectively communicate with societies through leveraging media. Another special session will see motivational speaker, filmmaker and social activist, Richard Williams, aka Prince Ea address the IGCF gathering.

The second day of the forum will see an inspiring address by Michelle Gielan, an expert and a researcher in positive psychology, and author of Broadcasting Happiness.

Panel discussions on ‘change communication’

On the first day of the Forum, the main session will be held under the title ‘Human Behaviour: New Dimensions for Change Communication’, while the second will be themed ‘Responsible Individuals: A Key Solution for Future Challenges’. The third and last session of the day will be titled, ‘Challenging the Lack of Capacity in an Era of Change Communication’.

The second day of IGCF 2019 will feature four panel discussions. These are titled, ‘Education Through the Lens of Tomorrow: Changing the Norm’, ‘The “Skills of the Future” Culture: Addressing the Expected Disappearance of Jobs’, ‘Fostering Positivity and Sustainable Approaches to Happiness: A Road Map’ and ‘Pioneering Thought of Women Advancement’, which will be held in collaboration with NAMA Women Advancement Establishment (NAMA).

Digital database on government communication

A brand new initiative of IGCC will be the launch of a Researchers Platform featuring a wealth of academic and research materials, books on government communications and other topics. The objective is to provide UAE’s media and communications students a rich repository of study materials, a platform to discuss their graduation projects and master’s theses, and host top academics and government communication experts at local and federal entities. 

Self-discovery journeys

Based on IGCF’s theme, a  side-line session titled ‘5 to the power of 5 - Five Challenges and Five Solutions in One Day’ will bring together youths, five parents, five young adults and five persons with disabilities, as well as five communication experts and employees from various entities across the UAE, who will work together to discuss five behavioural challenges that represent a priority in triggering the role of individuals in a country’s development process and present practical solutions.

Sharjah Press Club will bring social experiment videos in a session titled ‘Making a Difference in 60 Seconds’, where there will be self-discovery stations featuring specialised trainers who will guide visitors through the three necessary stages of training. 

Workshops to develop capabilities of communication professionals 

The Forum will dedicate a workshop for the UAE’s government communication practitioners, which will be hosted in collaboration with the Behavioural Insights Team (BIT), UK. Another special workshop will be held exclusively for journalists, in collaboration with ENEX.  

Partnerships

IGCF 2019 is held in partnership with key national and international institutions, including strategic partners Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), Sharjah Commerce & Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA), Sharjah Broadcasting  and Sharjah Media City (Shams), NAMA Women Advancement Establishment (NAMA), Government of Sharjah Department of eGovernment, Rubu’ Qarn Foundation; international media partners, ENEX, Sky News Australia, and The New York Times; regional media partner, Al Arabia Network; local media partners, The National, Emirates News Agency, Dubai Media Inc, Abu Dhabi Media, and finally, official carriers, Emirates Airlines and AGMC.

Since its inception in 2012, the IGCF has been successful in enhancing government communication in the UAE and the Arab world and developing communication channels between governments and communities. The Forum was able to make a series of significant accomplishments over the last seven years, most notably establishing the International Government Communication Centre (IGCC) and launching the Sharjah Government Communication Award (SGCA). It was also able to enhance the abilities of government entities to manage crises and face challenges, as well as develop training programmes for all government communication units in the Emirate of Sharjah and stimulate university students to specialise in government communication.

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© Press Release 2019