Around 40 speakers from the Arab region and the world will come together for the second Government Communication Forum (GCF 2013) which gets under way today, at the Expo Centre in Sharjah.

The two-day event will address the theme "Effective Communication…Unified Message”, and is held under the patronage of Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council member and ruler of Sharjah.

Gathering leading academic, political and media figures, prominent thought-leaders and communication experts from all over the world, in addition to a large number of government communication professionals from within the UAE and abroad, the forum’s key themes will identify pathways to establish successful government communication in the Arab world.

Among those set to take part in the event are Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish prime minister; Kofi Annan, former secretary-general of the United Nations; Amre Moussa, former secretary-general of the Arab League; and Andrew Young, former US Ambassador to the United Nations.

“A great deal of care and attention has gone into ensuring this important event provides the platform that our guests require,” Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qassimi, chairman of Sharjah Media Centre, said. “We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Sheikh Dr Sultan for his vision and for giving the event the prominence it deserves.”  

“We look forward to welcoming to Sharjah some of the world’s most high profile individuals in the area of government communication and diplomacy, all of whom will contribute significantly to what promises to be a hugely successful event.”

Erdogan will open the forum with a keynote speech. This will be followed by an address by Annan, who will share his experiences with the United Nations, his vision regarding the latest developments at a regional and global level, and his opinion regarding the role of effective communication in overcoming obstacles to real-life challenges.

Ahmed Al Bairaq, head of media committee, said: “In addition to providing the media with workstations and latest technologies, a large team of media experts and professional reporters have been put together by Sharjah Media Centre to provide news services and detailed information about the forum, in addition to the speakers and the entire agenda in both languages.”

“A TV and Radio studio has also been set-up to accommodate live broadcasting from the venue, and facilitate TV interviews and programmes carried out during the two-day event.”

More than 300 media representatives are expected to attend the forum from various local, regional and international media organisations.

GCF 2013 will be centered around the need for switching the current principles of government communication from "talking to people" to "talking with people", and the need for more flexibility in the light of the civil movements witnessed across the world at large, and the Arab world in particular.

Speakers include high-profile political, government, media and academic figures, in addition to experts in the field of government communication from all over the world. – TradeArabia News Service