SHARJAH – The second and last day of the International Government Communication Forum (IGCF 2018) focused on the role of communication in the digital age with numerous sessions highlighting the role of government institutions as well.
Up till now, four major sessions captivated the attention of the audience who thronged to Sharjah for attending the landmark event which has been successful in fostering government communication in the UAE and the greater Arab world.
Trust – The Last Mile for Government Communication
The panel discussion titled ‘The Current State of Government Communication and How to Build Flexible Strategies’ focused on the key qualities of flexible government strategies in an era of exponential change.
An illustrious line-up of speakers comprising Steve Wozniak, Co-founder, Apple Computer Inc., Jimmy Wales, Founder of Wikipedia, Inma Martinez, Artificial Intelligence pioneer and digital scientist, Thomas Koulopoulos, leading futurist and author; and moderator Laila Baroun, Business News Presenter, Sky News Arabia apprised the audience of key contours of the session.
“Our behaviour changes due to the technology we use. Let me take you back to 1966, when philosopher, Karl Popper, said that we were moving from clock problems to solving could problems. His point was that the clock is mechanical; it is easy to predict, understand and resolve its problems. Could problems, on the other hand, are constantly evolving and changing,” Thomas Koulopoulos said.
Jimmy Wales answered the question on challenges in the field and said the challenges are enormous in various different places around the world as governments by their nature are structured to be quite slow and bureaucratic.
“Wikipedia is blocked in China and in Turkey now for the past ten months – something we hope to resolve soon. We need to recognise that all these systems are dynamic and good governments are trying to adapt to these changes in a way to benefit their people, while some other governments who cannot control the flow of information to people are trying to mislead them with claims like ‘fake news’, etcetera,” he added.
Sharjah Youth Forum
The Sharjah Youth Council organised a two-day event, which saw 100 school and university students, young government employees, entrepreneurs gather during the first edition of the Sharjah Youth Forum, organised under the theme ‘We communicate to shape the future’.
The forum focused on enabling the youth to brainstorm new ideas in eight different fields.
The young participants -who were shortlisted from among 400 applicants to the Sharjah Youth Forum announced online two weeks ago- were divided into eight groups and were headed by eight high-ranking Sharjah executives who guided them in coming up with innovative ideas.
On the first day of IGCF 2018, the Youth Forum brought together young people from Sharjah while on the second day, it gathered the young participants with decision-makers and experts to discuss the outputs of the first day.
The Sharjah Youth Council, which organised the Forum, will submit a detailed report of recommendations from the closed brainstorming sessions.
The mentors who headed the youth gathering included HE Tariq Saeed Alay, Director of Sharjah Government Media Bureau, for the media; HE Ahmed Al Qaseer, COO of Sharjah Investment & Development Authority (Shurooq), for innovation; Khawla Al Serkal, Director of Sharjah Ladies Club (SLC), for entrepreneurship; HE Fahad Shehail, Chief Development Officer of Bee’ah, for sustainability; Nada Bin Askar Al Naqbi, Director of Women Sports Department, for sports and health; HE Jassem Al Blooshi, Member of the Board of Trustees of Rubu Qarn Foundation for Creating Future leaders and Innovators, for education and job opportunities; Sheikha Nawar Al Qassimi, Development Head at Sharjah Art Foundation, for arts and culture; and Sheikh Fahim bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Department of Government Relations in Sharjah, for values.
Making the Most out of Change in the Digital Age
IGCF 2018’s Guest of Honour, Nobel Peace Laureate and former Polish President Lech Walesa, and HE Tariq Saeed Allay, Director of the Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGMB) led the session highlighting the Positive Impacts and Values Behind Making the Most out of Change in the Digital Age.
Lech Walesa reiterated the messages and advices communicated by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohamed Al Qasimi, during his inaugural speech at IGCF 2018, underlining the importance of sustaining the traditional and cultural values and identity of a nation, when undergoing a series of changes in the Digital Age.
He also called on European countries to use Sharjah’s government communication experience as a role model.
“The entire world has gone through the so-called ‘age of the word’, which referenced the age of information. As it continues to experience rapid change with technology, it has overwhelmed mankind’s connection with its traditional values and cultural identities,” he added.
During his opening speech HE Tariq Saeed Allay said that during the first day of the 7th IGCF, Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Chairman of Sharjah Media Council, gave us the opportunity to have a unique glance at the next phase of the digital revolution in Sharjah and the region.
During his speech, Allay expressed the importance of investing on social media communication channels and platforms, unveiling statistics that highlighted more than 4 billion active users are using the internet worldwide.
Female Leadership and its Role in Digital Societies
A panel of distinguished female politicians, entrepreneurs and academics took part in a discussion focused on the role of women leaders in the digital future.
In addressing the subject of empowerment, HE Majd Schweikeh described social media as a world without limits.
“It has effectively changed life as we know it. There are no boundaries anymore, but we must always enjoy its possibilities with responsibility and respect,” Schweikeh added.
Echoing her sentiment, Vanessa D’Ambrosio said social media is the way forward for women in both the public and the private sector.
“I use social media to tell people what my work is and encourage women to take a position of power in both the community and the workplace,” she said.
Baroness Mone, who pointed out that despite coming from a deprived area of Scotland and leaving school at 15, she achieved enormous success through her business and now believes the power of social media means all women can now become entrepreneurs.
Finishing the panel session, Dr Latifa Alabdulkraim replied: “We must achieve diversity and reach equality. Women have both the technical skills and the emotional intelligence to be integral in the future of Artificial Intelligence.”
-PR
