Sharjah 24: The International Government Communication Forum (IGCF) 2021 is organising exciting brainstorming sessions and youth interactions to initiate conversations around ways to mobilise the youth alongside key stakeholders like the media social media influencers, thereby integrating their voices and contributions as future leaders into the nation’s developmental journey.

To be held on the side-lines of the region’s leading forum on government communication, being held under the theme ‘Historic lessons, future ambitions’, at Expo Centre Sharjah on September 26 - 27, the range of activities will include sessions such as ‘The Fifth Generation of Ideas’ as part of the Arab Youth Forum; a debate on influencers’ role titled ‘Infodemic’; ‘Misleading news in the time of the Coronavirus’, as well as a session for journalists, titled ‘Journalism’s prospects’. 

Led by leading industry experts, these discussions and workshops at IGCF 2021 seek promote critical thinking as a key factor of effective communication, both generally as well as in the government sector. 

Discussions will be held on the historical experience of government communication and the lessons learned thereof to facilitate government communication teams in their daily practices.  The sessions will also focus on strategic approaches to understanding the history of communication which will help build a better future for communities, and promote development and stability.

Influencers’ Forum
With government communication departments waking up to the magnitude of the impact and change that influencers can bring about through digital communication platforms and social media, the session titled ‘Infodemic’ will discuss the public's perception of social media influencers, the role of influencers in shaping their country's image and how government communication departments can cooperate with them to address ‘infodemics’ – the rapid spread of unreliable information that makes a solution more difficult to achieve. 

Award-winning television anchor, Nada Al Shaibani, host of ‘Hatha Ana’ on Abu Dhabi TV, will moderate the ‘Infodemic’ session with Haitham Al Hammadi.

Youth and ‘The Fifth Generation of Ideas’
IGCF 2021 will host an interaction with UAE’s youth at a session titled ‘The Fifth Generation of Ideas’ under the Arab Youth Forum. The discussion will focus on several key areas of concern including factors that can help people achieve a balance between material success and emotional development; the role of government communication in achieving a balance between emotional intelligence and social intelligence; the young generation’s perception of societies of the future and their role in strengthening them; and redesigning mind sets to meet the pace of life-altering changes. 

The session will be moderated by Maitha Mohammed, a young Emirati artist and content creator who targets Emirati youth and their parents through her work, and Marwan Al-Shehhi, a television host on Sama Dubai and a member of the UAE’s Youth Council since 2019.  

Fake news in the time of COVID-19
His Excellency Mohammed Jalal Al Raisi, Executive Director of Emirates News Agency (WAM), will lead this interactive session, which will process the misinformation campaign about the Coronavirus pandemic on social media and its implications for society and international security; and how the media counteracted with agility, leveraging technology to communicate credible news. False and malicious news as well as challenges faced by media professionals in times of crisis are among the other topics that will be discussed. 

Future of journalism
The future of journalism against the backdrop of profound and rapid digital transformation in the media industry will inform this session where more than 30 editors-in-chief from local as well international media outlets will discuss the challenges in store, the tools used by them to communicate effectively, as well as the methods they employ to connect with their readers and audiences. The experts will also offer thoughtful solutions on keeping the newspaper relevant in the digital era. The session will be moderated by media personnel Marwan Al Hel.