Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, the 11th annual International Government Communication Forum (IGCF) will witness hundreds of hours of illuminating and insightful discussions and deliberations, workshops, panel discussions and inspiring speeches surrounding the forum’s theme this year, which is ‘Challenges and solutions’.

Set to take place on September 28-29 in Expo Centre Sharjah, the forum organised by the International Government Communication Centre (IGCC) is an initiative of the Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGMB).

The two-day event will feature 7 main sessions, 10 inspiring speeches, 6 workshops, 13 interactive platforms and 40 side activities – all led by 160 senior public officials, thought leaders and government communication experts, who will highlight the role of government communication in overcoming local and global governance challenges, and social and economic crises, while highlighting opportunities arising from them.

Tariq Saeed Allay: Steady communication between governments and people key to confronting national challenges

HE Tariq Saeed Allay, Director General of SGMB, said: “Governments play a primary role to come up with solutions in times of uncertainty and crises, and steady two-way communication between governments and the people is key to formulating effective responses to national challenges.

“For a decade, forward-looking recommendations and ideas put forth by the International Government Communication Forum have helped positively influence the transformation of government communication in tandem with changing times and public needs. Today, this key international event returns for its 11th iteration with hundreds of hours of debates, discussions and activities poised to envision a more dynamic future for the sector,” added Allay.

“We welcome the regional and global tribe of communication experts in both public and private sectors, thought leaders, business owners, members of the media, university students as well as members of the UAE community who are passionate about participatory governance. IGCF 2022 aims to initiate key dialogues that will envision a comprehensive set of challenges and solutions for the future of government communications,” he stressed.

‘Challenges and Solutions’

IGCF’s theme asserts the importance of government communications in conveying challenges by wielding the right tools, approach and methodologies to motivate the public to become partners in the creation of solutions and appropriate practices, he added.

Panel discussions

Distinguished experts will present diverse and thought-provoking perspectives during seven panel discussions over the course of two days. The sessions titles include: ‘Drama – Between Intellectual and Linguistic Construction’, ‘Economic crises – between positive containment and negative adjustment’; ‘When zero becomes an achievement’; ‘The Future of the World between Web 3, Metaverse and Artificial Intelligence’; ‘Creative Destruction … What did the world gain?’; ‘ Implications of Public Communication for Emerging Projects’; ‘Struggles for Change…How to Be?’

Inspirational Talks
A line-up of distinguished experts and thought leaders will highlight the most pressing government communication topics through ten inspirational talks titled: ‘What kind of government does the world need?’; ‘The future of the creative economy…are we ready?’; ‘Leadership with influence’; ‘Balanced Cultures…Equal Relations’; ‘Cinema — Renewed channels of communication’; ‘Achieving dreams is not impossible’; ‘The power of habit’; ‘New communication channels and creative partnerships’, ‘Green Growth and Decision-making Mechanisms’ and ‘Skills Economy and the Next Generation of Governments’.

Specialised workshops

IGCF 2022 will organise three workshops daily led by experts from the Arab Administrative Development Organisation – Arab League; Artificial Intelligence Journalism for Research and Forecasting; and Sky News Arabia Academy. Targeting 120 participants throughout the forum, the workshop titles include ‘Government communication in the digital era’, ‘The first “mini” Professional Diploma in Journalism (Media) Artificial Intelligence’, and ‘Digital Content Innovation, from/to phanes’.

Sideline activities 

The two-day forum will be organising 40 sideline activities covering diverse topics on the regional and international levels in 13 halls, including ‘Inspirational Eve’, a dedicated space for constructive and robust debate on women’s issues; ‘Future Challenges Lab’, which will discuss the role of technology in communication and media, and addressing people of determination challenges in education. Meanwhile, the ‘Dialogue of Minds’ hall will cover social and humanitarian topics; ‘We’re Seeking’ will highlight new studies and research on government communications.

The ‘Youth City’ hall will cover communication topics relating to youth, while the ‘University Challenge’  hall will cover issues of interest to media colleges and students. The ‘Bold Discussions’ will cover advanced technology topics, the “New Media Academy” hall will highlight the ideal tools and ways to produce content for work on social media, podcasts, blogging platforms and others, in addition to three halls dedicated to hosting workshops.

Pre-forum activities

Between September 19 – 22, IGCF will organise a series of activities, including the Comms programme, which includes special training workshops that target the youth and university students: ‘Government Communication and the Management of Community Issues’; ‘Employing Infographics for Government Communication’; ‘The Skills of Using Artificial Intelligence in Developing Social Media Content’; ‘Media of Metaverse.. How to Create Creative Media Content in the Metaverse ?’; ‘The Skills of a Spokesperson in the Digital Environment’; and ‘Government Communication and Development of Media Relations’

It will also include a series of workshops and sessions covering a wide array of topics, including Communication Crisis Management, Future Challenges Lab, Universities Challenge, Government Communication Department Workshop and the Art of Persuasion in Emergency Situations.

IGCF 2022 asserts Sharjah’s role as a leader in adopting and mainstreaming government communication systems on a regional level, linking the challenges and tasks of each stage while taking into account the stage’s circumstances. It is aimed at drawing attention to the importance of the psychological impact of language on the public’s morale and awareness and activating bidirectional communications between governments and the public to achieve the discourse’s goal.

IGCF 2022 partners

IGCF 2022 is organised by the IGCC in partnership with a number of local and international institutions, including the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI); Sharjah Broadcasting Authority; Sharjah Media City (Shams); Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq); NAMA Women Advancement; The Big Heart Foundation (TBHF); Sharjah Commerce & Tourism Development Authority; Sharjah Expo Centre; Sharjah Asset Management; Sharjah Press Club; SGMB’s Government Communication Department; Sharjah ENtrepreneurship Centre (Sheraa); House of Wisdom; Sky News Arabia and its Academy; Emirates News Agency (WAM); Dubai Media Incorporated; Rubu’ Qarn Foundation for Creating Leaders and Innovators; 01Gov; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Arab Administrative Development Organization- League of Arab States; and Artificial Intelligence Journalism for Research and Forecasting.

For registration and complete information, please visit https://www.igcc.ae/en/home.aspx.