The 7th International Government Communication Forum (IGCF), organised by the International Government Communication Centre of Sharjah Government Media Bureau, opened its second day at Expo Centre Sharjah with speeches by the guest of honour Lech Wałęsa, former President of Poland, and HE Tariq Saeed Allay, Director of Sharjah Government Media Bureau. The opening session was moderated by Maqsoud Kruse, Executive Director of “Hedayah”.
Wałęsa stressed the importance of the messages conveyed in the keynote address given by HH Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohamed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, at the opening ceremony. These include values that we must adhere to as we live in and respond to changes of the digital age.
Wałęsa called on European countries to draw from Sharjah’s government communication experience, pointing to the challenges faced by the world community today, particularly in Europe, which necessitates learning from successful experiences in the management of the digital era.
Tariq Allay highlighted the pivotal role played by tools of the digital age. “This requires us to optimise the use of such tools in government communication, which must be credible, transparent and clear,” he said; calling for investing in the growing use of the Internet and social media.
Day two of IGCF 2018 witnessed the launch of the Arab Government Communication Network, the region’s first government communication network and the Academic Committee of the International Government Communication Centre.
The Forum attracted thousands of visitors and media professionals from across the globe to discuss ways to harness tools of the digital age for the benefit of communities, nations and entire humanity, while achieving optimal transparent communication between different components of the social fabric.
Sessions discussed “Current State of Government Communication and How to Build Flexible Strategies”, “Female Leadership and its Role in Digital Communities”, and “Youth of the Future: Building Young Skills for the Digital Millennium”, and many other topics and success stories.
Speakers on day two included Vanessa D’Ambrosio, youngest former head of state of the Republic of San Marino, Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple Computer Inc, Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia, Inma Martinez, AI pioneer and digital scientist, and HE Majd Shweikeh, Jordan’s Minister of Information and Communication Technology, among others.