Sharjah Media Centre Unveils Recommendations of IGCF...

Sharjah Media Centre (SMC) today announced the final recommendations of the fourth International Government Communication Forum (IGCF 2015), which underline the importance of enhancing internal communication between government departments and ensuring the participation of citizens in public service.

The recommendations are inspired by the keynote address delivered by His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, at the opening session of the forum.

Based on the discussions that took place at the forum, the recommendations are divided into six major categories, namely Recommendations for Governments and Leaders, Recommendations for Government Institutions, Recommendations for Government Communication Departments, Recommendations for Digital Communication, Recommendations for Crisis Communication, and Recommendations for Official Spokespersons.

The announcements were made at a special ceremony headlined by Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Chairman of SMC, as well as Osama Samra, Director of SMC, media representatives and members of the IGCF 2015 organising team.

Elaborating on the recommendations, Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi said that the speeches, round tables and interventions carried out at the forum by key global leaders, intellectuals and government communication experts offered a clear overview of the next steps that need to be taken towards developing government communication practices in the country and the wider region.

Presenting the recommendations, Osama Samra, Director of SMC, reiterated the need to spread the culture of communication between officials and the public, and the importance of maintaining open and constructive channels of communication with the media.

Samra added that the recommendations highlight the importance of creating the right environment for government communication to flourish through promoting awareness of the strategic role of government communication among government officers and officials, and conducting objective self-assessments to measure a given department's application of the principles of government communication in daily operations.

The recommendations further call upon government communication officials to be proactive in their actions, be publicly accessible across various communication platforms, particularly social media, and be quick to interact with the public.

Held under the theme Specific Actions...Better Results' on February 22-23, 2015, IGCF 2015 studied the use of effective government communication mechanisms to ensure an enhanced relationship between the government and the public.

Among the dignitaries who attended IGCF 2015 were guests of honour General Michel Sleiman, President of the Republic of Lebanon (2008-2014), President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia, Julia Gillard, Prime Minister of Australia (2010-2013), and Lakhdar Brahimi, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General of the United Nations (2004-2005), as well as Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission (2004-2014) and Prime Minister of Portugal (2002-2004) and James Rubin, Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs under President Clinton (1997 2000).

LINK:	http://www.sharjahmedia.ae/en/media-centre/news/4/5/2015/sharjah-media...
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