Bid to transform Dubai into a global centre for media
Dubai Future Council holds first meeting
DUBAI: The Dubai Future Council on Media, one of the 13 Dubai Future Councils set up to shape the future of Dubai’s strategic sectors, yesterday held its first meeting under the stewardship of Mona Ganem Al Merri, Director General of the Government of Dubai Media Office (GDMO) and Chairperson of the council.
Attended by 12 members of the council, drawn from the government and private sectors, the meeting discussed how Dubai can harness future technologies and trends to become a leader in determining the future of the world’s media sector. The council aims to anticipate future opportunities and challenges in the media industry, assess their potential impact and develop innovative strategies and creative solutions to maximise their benefits.
Launched by Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Future Foundation (DFF) in January this year, the Dubai Future Councils aim to create a futuristic platform to build strategic sectors in the emirate over the next 50 years. The councils will be working together to plan the future agenda of Dubai through its diverse network, knowledge exchange and cross-council collaboration.
“Drawing from the expertise of both government and private sector experts, the Dubai Future Council on Media will work to create new opportunities, generate solutions to challenges, develop strategies and launch new initiatives with the objective of transforming Dubai into a global centre for media. Some of our key areas of focus include regulations, talent, new technologies, strategic partnerships, and media services. By addressing diverse drivers of the media sector, we aim to create a new model for the media sector that will benefit the economy and society,” Al Merri said.
“Building talent is one of our key priorities since skills, innovation and creativity will be vital to the future development of the industry. Raising the capabilities of Emirati youth so that they can contribute to the advancement of media is a major goal for us. We seek to create a strong talent pool that is equipped to take advantage of new media technologies and tools,” she added.