HH Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohamed Al Qasimi Welcomes International, Regional Participants





HH Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohamed Al Qasimi Welcomes International, Regional Participants in Keynote Address

SHARJAH-UAE, March 22, 2017 - The Sixth International Government Communication Forum (IGCF 2017) was officially inaugurated with keynote speeches from His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohamed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, His Excellency Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Chairman of Sharjah Media Council, and HE Ali Ahmadov, Deputy Prime Minister of Azerbaijan.

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Emphasising the role of education and development in the growth of the Emirate of Sharjah, HH Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohamed Al Qasimi recounted how it all began 32 years ago, with the first children’s centre in the UAE being based in Sharjah. The University City of Sharjah was established 12 years later. The generation that accompanied these projects is now an integral part of society. He expressed his happiness at the Forum’s theme that called for societal participation and commended the organisers for their efforts in including all segments of society and the UAE population, within the scope of this year’s Forum.

He said: “Today, we welcome around 5,500 pupils and approximately 1,200 students annually graduate across 350 masters and 120 PhD programmes. In addition, we are increasingly interested in focusing our efforts on scientific research, and have therefore allocated US$120 million for this purpose.”

Speaking on the theme of comprehensive development, he defined sustainable development as the prioritisation of humanity over the being, which would allow progress to carry on beyond the life of a single being. Development should revolve around the family as a central unit, as well as the individual across different stages of life -- from childhood, to adolescence, to old age, he stressed. He lamented the lack of societal participation necessary for sustainable development.  

Addressing the theme of Societal Participation and Comprehensive Development, HH the Ruler of Sharjah said that for true societal development, humans must be the source and core focus of such inclusive development, regardless of ethnicity and background. He also emphasised the need for health insurance for all segments of the population, especially the elderly, to ensure their continued care as the nation moves ahead.

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On this occasion, HE Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Chairman of Sharjah Media Council, launched the International Government Communication Centre, a first-of-its-kind academic establishment that will serve as a local, regional, and international reference point for government communications. Furthermore, in line with the UAE’s Year of Giving initiative, Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi announced the establishment of a Government Communication Fund.

He called on the audience to keep in mind the countless bloody events that the world is currently witnessing, the obstacles they generate, and of the important need to transform them into opportunities. He encouraged all stakeholders to closely follow and benefit from the outcomes and recommendations of the sixth edition of IGCF.

Speaking on behalf of HE Ilham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan, the guest of honour at the inaugural event, HE Ali Ahmadov, Deputy Prime Minister of Azerbaijan, expressed his delight at the opportunity to attend the important Forum. He commended the Emirate of Sharjah, and the wider UAE, on hosting the prestigious event, and voiced his concern on international issues such as famine, poverty, disease, inequality, environmental imbalance, and terrorism that have captured the attention of a worldwide audience.

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Renowned International Journalist Kelvin O'Shea Stresses Importance of Ethical, Balanced Reporting to Contemporary Journalism

At an interactive session hosted during the sixth International Government Communication Forum (IGCF 2017), renowned, award-winning British journalist Kelvin O’Shea spoke on the importance of ethical reporting and the evolution of contemporary journalism. IGCF 2017 is currently underway at the Expo Centre Sharjah.

O’Shea shared highlights of his 40-year career as a reporter and producer, especially focusing on his time reporting across the Middle East during the session, which was co-hosted by Sharjah Press Club. He said: “Ethics is one of the tenets of strong journalism. Given the abundance of ‘fake news’ across various digital media platforms today, it is important to represent stories and personalities with accuracy and credibility, and in the most balanced way possible. People, on their part, must be rational and vigilant about the news they consume. Furthermore, delving into personal details for the sake of sensationalism may not create the right kind of engagement among readers and communities.”

He added that continuous learning and passion are essential to the positive evolution of the global media and communications industry. Elaborating on changing journalism in a socialmedia-driven era, he remarked that conventional media platforms must broaden their appeal to accommodate diverse interests and target groups, while enabling and empowering local citizen journalists to create deeper engagement and open dialogue on important issues.

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Government Communication in UAE and GCC Region

The importance of government communication in achieving the United Nations’ sustainable development goals (SDGs) in the GCC region was the main theme of a top panel at the first session of the sixth International Government Communication Forum (IGCF 2017). Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohamed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, the high-profile event runs from March 22 to 23at Expo Centre Sharjah.

In the session, titled ‘Communication for Development (C4D) and Community Partnership’, the panel discussed the importance of communication between government and society in the region’s journey towards sustainable development, prosperity and positive change.

Speaking first, His Excellency Dr Abdullatif Al Zayani, Secretary General of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC), said: “We can be proud of our sustainable development efforts in the GCC region. The secret of communication and conveying information is knowledge. We have transcended from the mere conveyance of information, and all stakeholders are aware of the comprehensive collaboration we believe in. We need clear vision and leadership from the leaders of the GCC countries to create this enabling environment. We want prosperity, and our means and objective is the citizen.”

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Speaking of the tools of communication that the UAE government is implementing, Her Excellency Najla bint Mohammad Al Awar, UAE Minister of Community Development, said: “Government communication has diverse channels for positive change and community development. All the initiatives we have launched as a ministry or government – including social media, councils, field visits and forums such as this one – have been a result of government communication.”

Kailash Satyarthi, acclaimed children rights’ activist and joint 2014 Nobel Peace Prize winner, first highlighted his enlightening pre-forum discussions with His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohamed Al Qasimi. He added: “Communication is very important, not just for commerce or for advertisements or entertainment but also for development. Communication should reach out to the last person of society. Everything has to be designed to be participatory and accountable.”

The session was moderated by Dr Sultan Al-Nuaimi, an academic and researcher in political affairs. The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) are a set of 17 global goals with 169 targets, aimed at transforming the world through ending poverty, protecting the planet and ensuring prosperity for all by 2030.

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Sharjah Ruler Attends Conversation Panel on Climate Change With Al Gore

His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohamed Al Qasimi, Member of Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah today attended a conversation panel with Al Gore, former US Vice President and founder-chairman of the Climate Reality Project as part of the sixth edition of International Government Communication Forum (IGCF 2017) at the Expo Centre Sharjah. 

Headlined ‘Climate Change…Are there Real Solutions?’ the lively panel discussion was moderated by HE Sheikh Fahim bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Executive Chairman of the Department of Government Relations in Sharjah. The discussion explored the role of governments in educating society on the existential threat of climate change and raising awareness of sustainable climate changing solutions.

Disturbing numbers pertaining to environmental degradation continue to sound alarm bells across the globe at regular intervals. The World Bank, in collaboration with the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, published a report in September 2016 pointing out that air pollution costs the world economy over US$225 billion a year due to employee absences from work and the accrued costs of healthcare. The report also noted that an astounding 5.5 million deaths in 2013 were the direct result of air pollution.

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Al Gore said: “The climate crisis is very different from any crisis we have ever confronted before. The population has quadrupled, and as technologies continue to become more powerful, the prevailing pattern of short-term thinking does not provide an impetus to make the investments in long-term infrastructure changes that are needed to achieve sustainable reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.”

Doomsday projections related to the environment continue unabated. The one silver lining to emerge from such data is perhaps the fact that people are increasingly questioning what they can do to mitigate the conscious as well as the inadvertent environmental impact triggered by human actions.

However, hurdles still exist and convincing the public to change their habits and lifestyles to help reduce global warming and prevent even worse consequences than those already happening is yet another challenge for governance, emphasised the former US Vice President.

Referencing a survey by Pew Research Center, Sheikh Fahim bin Sultan Al Qasimi noted that while two-thirds of people surveyed believe major lifestyle changes will be needed to limit greenhouse gas emissions, awareness of the solutions that are readily available is still low.

Unifying Public, Private Sectors Can Fast-track Socio-Economic, Environmental Change

 

His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohamed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, today attended the second session of the opening day of the sixth International Government Communication Forum (IGCF 2017), being held from March 22 to 23 at Expo Centre Sharjah. Eminent speakers taking part in the discussion emphasised that the private and public sectors as well as the youth have a collective responsibility to advance sustainable development.

Titled ‘The Public and Private Sectors: Real Partnership towards Sustainable Development,’ the session hosted Jeffrey Sachs, renowned development economist and Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, Dr Muhammad Yunus, founder of Grameen Bank and Nobel Peace Prize winner, and Badr Jafar, CEO of Crescent Enterprises and President of Crescent Petroleum.

The moderator of the session, John Defterios, Presenter and Editor of CNNMoney Emerging Markets, commenced by asking the panellists how communication enables public-private partnerships (PPPs) and the achievement of the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs), unveiled by the United Nations (UN) in 2016.

Opening the discussion, Jeffrey Sachs said: “All 193 countries of the UN have adopted the principles enshrined in the SDGs for two reasons. First, the world needs to change direction to be more economically and environmentally conscious as well as equitable. We can no longer go on as we have. Second, the SDGs are not ideas or suggestions but targets for 2030 that must be fulfilled so that mankind can survive and thrive. The SDGs are a powerful communication tool to align countries on key objectives for the near future. Strong and relentless public and private sector action can collectively provide the roadmap towards achieving these objectives.”

In a nod to the UAE government’s positive engagement with its communities and commitment to economic change, Sachs added: “The UAE serves as a great example of putting people at the centre of public policy. This is evident in the fact that the government has launched the World Happiness Council in addition to announcing 2017 as the Year of Giving. I am grateful for the way this government has placed the SDGs high on its agenda and at the centre of our discussion today.”

Speaking on the private sector’s potential in advancing the SDGs, Badr Jafar said: “The region’s governments are buckling under pressure to solve even basic challenges. At such a time, they cannot take on all the responsibility to provide the opportunities required to address the rampant unemployment. The private sector has the power and resources to be a change-maker. However, for this to happen, the sector needs to understand the business case behind sustainability, corporate governance and accountability.

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Climate Change Experts Highlight Role of Civil Society in Effecting Meaningful Change

Day one of the sixth International Government Communication Forum (IGCF 2017) concluded with an insightful panel discussion on the importance of putting civil society at the centre of the climate change dialogue across the globe.

Environmental experts from the public and private sectors concurred on this point at the session themed ‘Environment and Climate Change in Media Policies’. Both segments agreed that media communication needs to be impactful and relay the right messages to civil society to enable them to effect meaningful change.

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 Mark Schapiro, an author and award-winning journalist specialising in international environmental stories, moderated the discussion.

Speaking on the role of the private sector in the climate change dialogue, Safa’ Al Jayoussi said: “Private sector entities play a major role in communicating the needs of the people to the government, as well as in advocating for change. There is an urgency in this region to create a dialogue between the public and private sector as well as civil society. Unfortunately, climate change does not seem to be a priority, with the UAE being an exception. The steps the UAE has taken, including the establishment of the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, shows that the country cares about environmental challenges. Across the region, we need to be able to communicate the benefits of climate change intervention, especially from a cost-cutting perspective.”

Demonstrating the success of public-private partnerships for environmental causes,

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His Excellency Khaled Issa Al Huraimel said: “Bee’ah was created as a public-private partnership with the aim of addressing the huge waste management challenge we faced in the UAE, and establishing Sharjah as the environmental capital of the Middle East. Today, seven years after we envisioned this goal, I can safely say we have achieved record rates of over 70 per cent waste management away from the landfills. We are also actively involved in taking our vision across the UAE and the region. To this effect, we have tied up with Masdar to develop renewable energy sources.

Speaking from the perspective of the EU nations, His Excellency John Burton said: “The success of environmental intervention, such as recycling initiatives and setting of zero-landfill targets, has been largely driven by the fact that these targets are set individually for each country in the EU with clear indications of penalties, such as fines levied in case of violation. This has worked in most EU nations, except in cases such as Poland, which has a coal-driven market, or Ireland, where methane gas from livestock created environmental hazards. Within this framework, however, we find that it is very important to get the people on your side, to make the decision to recycle. Moreover, we need to repeatedly remind the people of the impact their household decisions could have on their own children and future generations.”

Minister of Youth Explores Best Ways to Communicate with Youth Segment at Special Youth Circle

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Her Excellency Shamma bint Sohail Al Mazrouei, UAE Minister of State for Youth Affairs, today attended a special youth circle titled ‘The Role of Government Communication in Motivating Youth to Participate in the Achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals’.

Organised by Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGMB), in collaboration with the Emirates Youth Council, on the first day of the International Government Communication Forum (IGCF 2017) currently underway at the Expo Centre Sharjah, the panel discussion drew the participation of more than 30 people in the 15 to 30-year age group from diverse specialisations.

The panel discussion was moderated by Doaa Al Hammadi, a journalist at Sama Dubai TV. Building on the IGCF’s theme ‘Societal Participation…Comprehensive Development’, Her Excellency Shamma bint Sohail Al Mazrouei, who is also the Chairperson of the Emirates Youth Council, said at the beginning of the session: “Sustainable development can be achieved when governments and officials collaborate with the youth to enhance their role and engage youngsters in advancing development policies.” 

She encouraged young people to share their opinions on ways to develop government communication tools to achieve better results with regard to societal participation. She noted that youth councils in the country today are building a unified online platform that engages the youth with different government departments and entities. Aiming to maximise its reach among youth segments, the platform will ensure that all government initiatives are communicated to the youth.

Participants pointed out that government communication enables government entities and diverse social segments to understand one another’s points of view and act proactively to achieve sustainable development. They added that today social media channels offer significant opportunities to look at and replicate leading international experiences locally in engaging the youth in development initiatives.

Speakers also highlighted that in a rapidly evolving global socio-economic landscape, where change is the norm, it is imperative that the youth of any country must demonstrate responsible social behaviour and proactively ensure that society and the country at large are shielded from any negative impact as a result of these changes. 

 

      


 














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