IGCF to Examine Communication and Dialogue Platforms of Government Departments

Second Session to Showcase UAE, UK Government Communication Experiences

Sharjah-UAE: February 14, 2015 – The second session of the upcoming International Government Communication Forum (IGCF) will discuss the role and challenges faced by government communication departments in creating an environment that fosters dialogue and interaction with the public amid the rapid socio-economic changes sweeping the world today.

Scheduled for  February 22, the session will underline the experiences of both the UAE and the UK in the field of government communication, highlighting the variation in government department practices based on cultures and traditions.

Titled ‘Government communication departments: communication and dialogue platforms’, the session will be headlined by Alex Aiken, Executive Director for Government Communications - UK Government; Yomna Kamel, Government Communication Consultant  - UAE Ministry of Cabinet Affairs; and Karen Sanders,

Professor at IESE Business School/CEU San Pablo University. Shanto Iyengar, Professor of Political Science at Stanford University, will moderate the session.
Commenting on this session, Osama Samra, Director of Sharjah Media Centre, said: "We live in times of rapid and overlapping global events. Government communication departments worldwide are continually looking to step up their methods of communication with the people they represent and serve. Through leveraging the networking platform of the IGCF, we aim to create an environment that fosters dialogue and interaction between the two parties to draw attention to the issues that concern the public, and establish harmony among various departments. By doing so, we will ensure that the messages of the government are delivered in the most accurate and timely manner.”

In his current role, Alex Aiken manages the combined Prime Minister’s Office and Cabinet Office communications team and serves as Head of Profession for the UK’s Government Communications Service (GCS). He has been responsible for creating the GCS and developing cross-government campaigns for the UK government, and has trained and advised politicians and officials in countries and states around the world in government communications practices.

Yomna Kamel is a Government Communication Consultant at the UAE Ministry of Cabinet Affairs. A prolific journalist and media researcher, her body of work focuses on government communication strategies, comparative media systems, citizen journalism and contemporary Arab media.

Karen Sanders, the third speaker of the session, is the former President and Board Member of the Association of Political Communication who currently directs the Research Centre of Communication Trends for the Social Sciences campus at the CEU San Pablo University in Madrid.

Organised under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, the International Government Communication Forum is set to run from February 22-23 at the Expo Centre Sharjah.