Sharjah Ruler to open communication forum
sharjah — His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, will attend the opening of the twoday International Government Communication Forum (IGCF) on Wednesday at Expo Centre Sharjah.
The 9th edition of the IGCF brings global experiences and expertise on one platform to help professionals across public and private sectors understand how they can leverage the rapidly developing potential of the communications landscape to translate their vision and policies into effective day-to-day practice.
The organisers, International Government Communication Centre (IGCC), a subsidiary of Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGMB), have brought together 64 leading global thinkers, top government officials, media influencers and communications and technology experts from across 16 nations to lead a robust forum agenda, featuring 57 diversified events and discussions.
All the events at the IGCF are based on four key pillars or themes: Embedding a culture of engagement in government; Technology as a community enabler; Communication through culture; and Holistic well-being.
At the forum, Juan Santos, former President of Colombia and Nobel Peace Prize winner, will talk about the importance of dialogue to sustain peace between people and cultures who think differently or have different values. “In today’s polarised world,
we need to recover the value of arguments over emotions and to realise that we all live in one common house. I hope that this forum will contribute to the understanding of the different challenges that we face today because only by understanding the challenges, can we overcome them,” said Santos.
Irina Bokova, President of the Academy for Cultural Diplomacy and former director-general of Unesco, remarked: “Culture is at the crossroads of today’s challenges for peace, resilience and social inclusion. In our age of diversity, with need to equip people with the tools they need to speak in different languages, to live together in diverse cities, to deal with multilayered identities and affiliations, to know and respect the culture of others. I look forward to discussing and debating this important topic during the forum.”
Michaëlle Jean, former governor-general and commander-inchief of Canada will speak about the important role that access to information has played in Canada’s citizen engagement.
Every edition of the IGCF is a step forward in building a government communication system that supports the aspirations of our people.” Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Chairman, Sharjah Media Council (SMC)