Jamil Khan, Senior Reporter

Under the patronage of His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, the 2021 edition of the International Government Communication Forum, commencing on September 26, marks the completion of a full decade as a leading international event that brings together leading global thinkers, government officials and intellectuals on a common platform to determine the role of government communication in comprehensive future development plans.

IGCF 2021 is a milestone edition that will focus on the historical experience of government communication, discuss its current realities, and envision its future, in addition to reviewing mechanisms, tools, and changes in public perceptions. Having accumulated global knowledge and expertise for over a decade now, the 10th anniversary edition of the annual forum is truly exceptional as it is being held against the backdrop of a pandemic that presented an invaluable learning opportunity for governments across the world. The proliferation of information on a multitude of media platforms during the pandemic has further reinforced the vital role of effective communication as a key pillar of crisis governance, the premise on which the IGCF was founded 10 years ago.

To be held at Expo Centre Sharjah, the 10th anniversary session of the two-day forum, will be held under the slogan ‘Historic lessons, Future ambitions’, and brings together 79 experts in communication from 11 Arab and foreign countries, to discuss innovative crisis management mechanisms and determine the future of government communication. The highlights include 31 events featuring 7 panel discussions, 5 inspirational talks, 7 training workshops, and 12 interactive programmes.

The International Government Communication Centre (IGCC), a subsidiary of Sharjah Government Media Bureau -- organisers of the annual IGCF, outlined details of the packed 2021 agenda during a press conference held at the Sharjah Research Technology and Innovation Park on Monday (September 6) in the presence of Tariq Saeed Allay, Director General of SGMB, and a host of senior officials and media representatives. Addressing the press conference, Tariq Saeed Allay, Director General of SGMB, began his speech by emphasising the two facts that constitute the essence of IGCF 2021, the first being the role of UAE’s media professionals which has gone beyond reporting on the activities of the forum to become the forum’s partners in formulating its culture and directions. The second fact, he said, confirmed the importance of the readiness of media and communications teams to adapt to unprecedented transformations the world has been witnessing across sectors.

Allay continued: “We have all followed the sharp changes in cultural, economic and social sectors worldwide. The central focus of the 10th edition of IGCF is to monitor the role of government communication amid these transformations and measure its ability to lead and influence their results, drawing on the lessons of history to create a stable and prosperous future.”

He added that the inspirational talks, training programmes, discussions and live interactive sessions that mark the ICGF 2021 agenda will equip nations with the indispensable tools and knowledge to shape their future-readiness in the event of any crisis.

Allay was joined by Alya Al Suwaidi, Marketing and Special Projects Manager, SGMB, in making a comprehensive presentation, which detailed the programme agenda of IGCF 2021 to the local and regional media personnel who attended the press conference. Participants from across the world will attend the region’s leading event that for a decade now has been exploring the role of communication in advancing development plans and paving the way for opportunities to forge true and fruitful partnerships between governments and societies to drive positive change. Among the most notable figures participating in IGCF 2021 are, Dr Nayef Falah Al Hajraf, Secretary General of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf; Hessa Buhmaid, UAE Minister of Community Development; Omar Sultan Al Olama, UAE Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence; Adel Bin Abdul Rahman Al Asumi, Speaker of the Arab Parliament; Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary General of the Arab League; Philip Hammond, British politician and former Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and Dr. Fahad Al Shulaimi, President of Gulf Security and Peace Forum.