Sheikh Abdullah wins influential media personality award at forum
sharjah — Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, has been selected as the Influential Media Personality in Government Communication for the Arab Region.
Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Sharjah Media Council, honoured the winning government entities and individuals in the fourth Sharjah Government Communication Award (GCA 2017) on Wednesday.
The winners received their trophies during the closing ceremony of GCA 2017 at Al Majaz Amphitheatre on the first day of the International Government Communication Forum (IGCF 2017).
GCA’s Judging Panel, headed by Ibrahim Al Abed, Advisor to National Media Council’s Chairman, said Sheikh Abdullah was selected due to his significant contributions to devising the UAE’s foreign policy that is characterised by neutralism, moderation, respect for the sovereignty of other countries, and respect for international laws and the humanitarian principles of the UN.
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan has also succeeded in supporting the UAE leadership’s efforts in enhancing the concept of soft power to boost the country’s reputation, increase its transparency among nations of the world, and build on the friendly relations with other countries and civilisations.
“Although I’m not a media personality, in today’s day and age, we are all compelled to deal with the media, both traditional and modern, on a regular basis. I believe that we all face a major challenge posed by social media. This challenge is credibility. Each one of us can reach out to the world using social media today, but we also need to be true to ourselves,” said Sheikh Abdullah.
The award was received on his behalf by Mohammed Mir Al Raisi, Under-Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi said: “Communication has been and continues to be the first pillar of social relations since humanity developed an organised social structure. By practising and developing the concept of government communication, Sharjah aims to restore the social role and developmental dimension of communication.
“Every submission presented to the Sharjah Government Communication Award has been a testament to the ability of individuals and entities participating in this year’s edition to add the necessary human dimension to modern communication and its tools to maintain a healthy social fabric,” he added.