Sharjah: Winners of the fourth Sharjah Government Communication Award (GCA 2017) received their awards on Wednesday night at a ceremony at Al Majaz Amphitheatre.
The awards were presented on the first day of the sixth annual International Government Communications Forum (IGCF), which was held over two days at Expo Centre Sharjah.
Shaikh Sultan Bin Ahmad Al Qasimi, Chairman of Sharjah Media Council, honoured the winning government entities and individuals in the award. The event was attended by senior officials and dignitaries.
There were 179 submissions for 13 categories of the award from government entities and individuals from across the UAE and the Arab region.
Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, was selected by GCA’s judging panel as Influential Media Personality in Government Communication for the Arab Region.
Shaikh Abdullah was selected due to his significant contributions to devising the UAE’s foreign policy that is characterised by neutralism, moderation, respect for the sovereignty of other countries, and respect for international laws and the humanitarian principles of the United Nations.
Thanking the Sharjah Government Media Bureau for the honour, Shaikh Abdullah said: “Although I’m not a media personality, in today’s day and age, we are all compelled to deal with the media, both traditional and modern, on a regular basis. I believe that we all face a major challenge posed by social media. This challenge is credibility. Each one of us can reach out to the world using social media today, but we also need to be true to ourselves.”
The award was received on Shaikh Abdullah’s behalf by Mohammad Mir Al Raisi, under-secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
During the ceremony, Shaikh Sultan had also unveiled a first-of-its-kind book in the Arab world by the Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGMB) titled ‘Best Practices in Government Communication.’
The book gives an outline of and recounts the best experiences and case studies presented by the contestants for the various categories of the Award from the previous three editions of GCA.
Since it was launched in 2012 under the directives of His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, the Award has highlighted accomplishments of individuals and entities in the government communication sector to drive best professional practices in this vital sector in the UAE and the wider GCC region.
Award winners in various categories:
Influential Media Personality in Government Communication for the Arab Region award: Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
Leadership in Media: Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper.
Best Practice in Government Communication in Sharjah: Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq), with the Directorate of Human Resources in Sharjah and Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry taking second and third places respectively.
Best Official Spokesperson in Sharjah: Khalifa Misbah Al Tunaiji, Chairman of the Sharjah Department of Housing and Member of the Sharjah Executive Council.
Best Government Website in Sharjah: Sharjah’s Directorate of Housing. Sharjah Airport Authority came in second, and Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority stood third.
Best Government Communication Strategy in the UAE: Ministry of Presidential Affairs’ National Archives. Dubai Chamber of Commerce was in second place, followed by Sharjah’s Directorate of Town Planning and Survey in third position.
Best Government Social Media Engagement, UAE and GCC: Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation, followed by Abu Dhabi’s Judicial Department and Bahrain’s Ministry of Information Affairs.
Best Graduation Project and Research on Government Communication: Khalil Saqr Bin Gharib, Director of Corporate Communication Department at Dubai Customs.
Best Government Intercommunication Practice in the UAE: Dubai Municipality, followed by the Sharjah Documentation and Archives Authority and the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources.
Best Government Communication Campaign in the UAE and GCC: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Health, with the Kuwait Flour Mills and Bakeries Company and Bahrain’s Information and eGovernment Authority assuming second and third places respectively.
Best Government Communication Campaign outside the UAE: UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, while the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority came second, and the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the third position.
Best Press Report/Feature in the UAE: Ahmad Abdul Hamid Al Ansari, a journalist from Emarat Al Youm newspaper. This category has been added for the first time this year.
