International Government Communication Forum (IGCF 2015)

[Al Bhatti]

February 22, 2015

Shaikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, General Michel Sleiman, former President of the Republic of Lebanon (2008-2014), Julia Gillard, Prime Minister of Australia (2010-2013), Lakhdar Brahimi, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General of the United Nations (2004-2005) with other delegates during the opening.

Shaikh Dr Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah speaking at the opening day of International Government Communication Forum 2015 at Expo Centre, Sharjah on Sunday

IGCF 2015: Sultan speaks about the importance of Sharjah radio programme
Sultan says that Direct Line radio programme keeps the public informed about government decisions

Live communication through the Khat Al Mobashar (Direct Line) radio programme will continue to keep the public informed about what the government is doing and the decisions it is taking, said His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, at the fourth International Government Communication Forum (IGCF 2015).

The forum aims to build a platform for better communication between governments and their stakeholders to support the government of Sharjah towards creating a participatory dialogue and to develop government communication mechanisms for the benefit of government institutions in the UAE and the region. This edition of the forum has 30 eminent speakers from around the world and from within the UAE.

Addressing the audience, Dr Shaikh Sultan said that if discussions aired on the programme continue to be objective and based on knowledge, “this will get us closer to a real democracy”.

Focusing on the programme and its mission and vision, he said government communication usually starts from the top and then reaches the people, “but through this programme, which I have been following closely and participating in, communication is coming from below and is reaching up to the government.

“The public communication represented by the programme wants to serve the public, establish dialogue with citizens, and keep citizens informed about government works, establishments and about government decisions,” he said.

He added that public communication serves to establish an important dialogue between civil society and the government.

“Communication not only encourages citizens to contribute to public life but to also participate in national initiatives,” he said.

Dr Shaikh Sultan highlighted the challenges that were faced in the beginning when the programme was established and how tough it was to always end up with a purely objective discussion.

“Through the years that passed, I’ve been listening to all the discussions that were taking place on the radio and it was really tough for a real objective discussion to take place, but now things have really changed and the discussions in the programme are all based on objectivity and knowledge.”

He concluded by saying that implementing democracy is difficult, “but training young people on how to be objective and dedicated will in return benefit and serve the country better”.

Held under the patronage of Dr Shaikh Sultan, the IGCF 2015 will run until Monday.


IGCF 2015: Sultan speaks about the importance of Sharjah radio programme | GulfNews.com


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February 22, 2015

IGCF 2015 panel: Fight Daesh with words, not just arms

Extremist groups exploited state-subject communication gap to influence youth

Extremism in the Arab region can survive military action and must be countered by effective state communication, a Sharjah conference heard.

State, military and media officials told the International Government Communication Forum [IGFC] on Sunday that groups like Daesh have taken advantage of a communication gap between government officials and the public.

They added that military action could only defeat Daesh and their ilk in the short term as their ideology is spreading to homes and schools, targeting the youth.

An IGFC panel discussion at the Sharjah Expo Centre, which began on Sunday and concludes on Monday, stressed the need for state officials, religious leaders and schoolteachers to counter extremist thought by engaging teens and young adults in a dialogue process.

Daesh has been active on Twitter and video-sharing sites to garner support.

Faisal Al Fayez, first deputy speaker, Jordanian Senate Council, said a counter media and ideological strategy is the need of the hour, together with direct face-to-face interactions between high-ranking officials and ordinary people.

He added that “meet me, don’t feed me” is a common demand subjects want from states in the region.

Also stressing the need to “win hearts and minds” in conflict zones was General Sir Richard Shirreff, former deputy supreme allied commander of Nato Europe. He said “strategic communications need to tell a more compelling story than the adversary. It has to resonate emotionally and intellectually”.

Jose Barroso, former prime minister of Portugal, said it was a “paradox” that “extremist forces” had support in an age characterised by education. He added that it was the vast variety of media at people’s disposal that “have made matters much more complicated”.

The discussion was moderated by BBC Middle East Editor Jeremy Bowen.

IGCF 2015 panel: Fight Daesh with words, not just arms | GulfNews.com

 

[Al Bhatti]

February 23, 2015

Lakhdar Brahimi, Algerian UN Diplomat, at the International Government Communication Forum 2015, in Sharjah

America’s invasion of Iraq led to Daesh: Lakhdar Brahimi
America’s invasion of Iraq led to Daesh, Lakhdar Brahimi says

When the political flashpoints first went off in the Arab world, people were calling for real change, and when governments chose not to respond, they became victims of the change, Lakhdar Brahimi, former Special Adviser to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, said on the concluding day of the International Government Communication Forum in Sharjah.

In a live onstage interview with Raghida Dergham, New York Bureau Chief for Al Hayat newspaper, Brahimi spoke about the crisis in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and problems in other Middle Eastern countries, including the power Iran wields in each of those countries.


Brahimi said any crisis cannot be limited to certain territory and that it will end up affecting neighbouring countries, just as what happened in Syria.


“In early events, Syrians were just calling for dignity and freedom, but these demands were not dealt with properly, and what started as a peaceful movement turned into something much worse. Syria’s past, present, and future have been destroyed, and I believe neighbouring countries should have dealt with the crisis in a better way.”

He said Lebanon deserves to be saluted, because it took it upon itself to bear the burden of millions of Syrian refugees, which no single other country agreed to do. “Even if there are still problems and things that were not achieved, Lebanon did it what it can,” he said.

“As Syria’s crisis became worse, the so-called Islamic State or Daesh in Iraq found a reason to expand into Syria and ended up calling themselves Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.”

Speaking about Iran and its involvement in the Middle East, he said: “It is not possible for us to ignore the existence of Iran, but we can object to their control in Syria and Iraq.”

“Iran considers itself the most important country in the Middle East, especially after gaining power in Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon. We must consider the fact that since it is part of the problem, it could also be part of the solution.”

Brahimi said that it is important that Iran collaborate with other governments to fight Daesh and not just say they disapprove of the group.

“To be frank, the biggest issue with the region is that there are a lot of divisions. This doesn’t help the UN do its part and this doesn’t help Syria in return. In one of the reports I wrote, I highlighted how Syria cannot deal with the issue alone, neither can neighbouring countries because of the divisions, and the only way to solve it is to rely on external circles.”

Brahimi moved on to discuss how America’s invasion of Iraq was the fundamental reason for what is happening in Iraq today and why Iraqis are suffering.

“I’m not defending Saddam Hussain, and I don’t mean the US created Daesh, but the conditions following the invasion led Al Qaida to come to Iraq and for Daesh to gain power.”

As for the role of government communication in the Arab world, Brahimi said that the capacity of Arab governments to reach out to people is really disappointing and not up to expectation.

“There is a dire need for governments to communicate with the people more. There is a lack of confidence among people. I hope through this forum people will take note of everything being discussed.”

When Brahimi was asked about his best achievements, he said the richest and most successful experience he had was when supervising the elections in South Africa, which brought Nelson Mandela to power.

America’s invasion of Iraq led to Daesh: Lakhdar Brahimi | GulfNews.com