Tariq Saeed Allay, Director of the Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGMB).

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

Tariq Saeed Allay, Director of the Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGMB), spoke of the global conditions that coincided with the 5th edition of IGCF in 2016, held under the theme ‘Citizens for Prosperity’. He noted that the year witnessed socioeconomic recovery, which was the reason the forum emphasised the important role of government communication in harnessing and enhancing socio-economic, as well as in improving quality of life.

He explained that the key message of the forum was: “Elevating community is a collective responsibility, and the role of government communication is to promote a culture of positivity across all community groups.”

Allay pointed out that the UAE was one of the first countries to sign UN’s Millennium Development Goals (SDGs) in 2000, and connected it to the 6th edition of IGCF held in 2017 under the theme ‘Societal Participation and Comprehensive Development’. The forum focused on how communications could be leveraged to translate the UAE’s vision to contribute to the achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION AND FUTURE OF GOVERNMENT COMMUNICATION: Speaking about ongoing evolution of IGCF’s role, the Director of SGMB said: “IGCF had to adapt scientifically and professionally to digital developments in communication, and leverage them to serve its goals. Themed ‘The Digital Millennium.. Where to?’, the 7th edition held in 2018 convened communication technology experts and communication teams on one platform.”

“Being up-to-date with modern technology is crucial to government communication experts, not only because it provides them with modern methods to reach out to the audience, but also because it helps them understand the factors that affect public opinion. This contributes to managing campaigns more effectively and accurately,” he added.

A CULTURE, NOT GENES: The 8th edition of IGCF addressed individual and collective behaviour. Themed ‘Behavioural Change Towards Human Development’, the forum underlined that individual practices are defined not by genes but culture.

Allay explained that the edition focused on the importance of diversifying the specialisations of government communication teams and entities, and asserted that this could be achieved by engaging sociologists, experts of individual and collective behaviour, data collection, analysis as well as archiving specialists in the field. In addition, engaging people to take up responsibility in behavioural change initiatives was also highlighted.