DUBAI – The International Government Communication Centre (IGCC) has announced March 20–21, 2019 as the dates for the 8th edition of the International Government Communication Forum (IGCF), to be held under the theme, ‘Behavioural Change Towards Human Development’.
Organised by Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGMB), IGCF 2019 will host prominent figures and top officials from around the world, including heads of state and governments, thought leaders, directors of regional and international organisations, representatives of civil society and study and research centres, media personnel and students of mass communication and media.
The upcoming IGCF is set to train the spotlight on the role of government communication in supporting and enhancing human capital development, featuring discussions on the promotion of healthy habits, elevating the status of education, building skills of the future, fostering behavioural practices dedicated to sustainability, and how governments can work together to encourage their people to feel individually responsible for human development.
Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Chairman of Sharjah Media Council (SMC), highlighted the unique focus of IGCF 2019, saying: “IGCF’s previous editions have successfully strengthened communication structures and tools by shedding light on several issues of importance in the field across nations and governments.
“The 2019 edition is set to be one of the IGCF’s most specialised. It will be tailor-made to assessing the role of government communication in promoting positive behaviour around issues of national interest. Government communication’s mission is to enhance people’s awareness and seeing the larger public interest as part of their own. This can only be achieved when governments use communication to influence personal and social practices in a way that will enable individuals to fully understand their role in the success of national plans.”
Local and international communication experts, together with behavioural specialists will come together at IGCF 2019 to deliberate on how to realistically incorporate sociology and human sciences into the development and implementation of successful government communication campaigns. “Without understanding people’s mindsets or the behavioural source of their practices, government policymaking will not be as accurate or impactful. Personalised and inclusive government communication – one that is complete only with citizens’ equal participation – can inspire positive change in people’s attitudes to serve broader public interests,” the SMC Chairman added.
He observed that the upcoming edition of IGCF, which was launched in 2012 to translate the goals and vision of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohamed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, takes after his objective to have individual development as the mission, vision and key target of all government policies and programmes, as any practice that ignores this fact will never succeed.”
Modern communication technology makes it easier than ever for citizens to speak directly to governments, and IGCF 2019 seeks to leverage these developments to create behaviour analysis tools and mechanisms that overcome impending challenges to impact citizens positively and support personal as well as community growth.
The Forum will push for the adoption of behavioural strategies into government communication plans – a practice that distinguishes the more welfare-centric and participative governments in the developed world. It will also highlight the importance of training government communication personnel, who will be the agents of qualitative change in government communication by facilitating the adoption of behavioural theory principles.
Since its inception in 2012, the IGCF has been successful in enhancing government communication in the UAE and the Arab world, and developing communication channels between governments and communities. It has brought together many presidents, heads of government, thought leaders, state officials, CEOs of regional and international entities as well as civil society organisations and government communication experts to share their expertise and visions on the best methods of elevating communication and increasing its efficiency to address current and future challenges.
The Forum has made a series of significant achievements over the last seven years, including the establishment of the International Government Communication Centre (IGCC) and the Academic Commission of IGCF and the launch of Government Communication Award (GCA). It has become a reliable and trusted reference for an array of international communication case studies. It has also been able to enhance the abilities of government entities to manage crises and face challenges, as well as develop training programmes for all government communication units in the Emirate of Sharjah and encourage university students to specialise in government communication.
