Lawyer Amal Clooney will address government delegates next week alongside Mary Robinson, Chris Gardner and Sultan Al-Jaber.
The celebrity lawyer and human rights activist is among a list of confirmed speakers at the fifth International Government Communication Forum (IGCF 2016), to be held on March 20-21 at the Expo Centre Sharjah.
Several guests of honour will deliver keynote speeches on both days of the forum. Besides Clooney, those attending will include HE Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of State and Chairman of the Board of National Media Council, Mary Robinson, First female President of the Republic of Ireland from 1990 to 1997 and United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (1997-2002); HE Shamma bint Sohail Faris Al Mazrouei, Minister of State for Youth Affairs in the UAE, Dominique de Villepin, Prime Minister of France (2005-2007); Husain Haqqani, Ambassador of Pakistan to the United States (2008-2011), Tina Brown, author of The Diana Chronicles and CEO of Tina Brown Live Media; David Miliband, President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee (IRC), Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of the United Kingdom (2007-2010); Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairperson of Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq); Ndaba Mandela, the grandson of President Nelson Mandela, Founder and President of the Africa Raising Foundation; and Christopher Gardner, the American entrepreneur, motivational speaker, author, philanthropist.
Hollywood actor George Clooney, Amal’s husband, is not on the list of speakers, and the couple have not confirmed if the Syriana star will visit the UAE again. The British-Lebanese lawyer is currently in India, where she is a speaker at the India Today conclave.
The event, being held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhamad Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, brings together more than 2,500 prominent world leaders, legal experts specialising in government communication, public sector officials, communication professionals and journalists, as well as employees and stakeholders working in the field of government communication. Students of local and Arab universities are also expected to participate in the event as volunteers and attendees.
Government communication has emerged as an important social and political science, given its defining role in stabilising and developing societies, Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Chairman of Sharjah Media Centre, said at a press conference ahead of the event. He pointed out that this fact is reinforced by the public expectation of its ability to resolve crises spreading across regional and international arenas.
“One of the basic differences between stable societies that are improving the lives of their people and those that are struggling and unable to achieve prosperity is the level of communication between governments and their people,” he said. “We believe they share the task of development of key sectors that directly impact people's social, economic and cultural reality. Therefore, the International Government Communication Forum this year will be more specialised and focused on sharing global best practices and experiences of government communication in areas such as education, community identity and culture, among others."
Among the topics under discussion are the role of government communication in building knowledge societies, how governments can confront extremism, the role of the woman citizen, the role of governments in natural and humanitarian disasters. Several workshops are also being organized.
The event will conclude with the roll-out of recommendations and the announcement of winners of the third edition of Sharjah Government Communication Award.
For more information visit www.sgci.ae
