In the presence of over 100 federal and local government communication officials

Sharjah, March 25, 2015

Government Communication Office of the General Secretariat of the Cabinet in collaboration with the Sharjah Media Centre organized the first of its kind meeting of government communication teams at the federal and local levels in the UAE to promote cooperation and joint efforts in government communication sector.

The meeting was attended by more than 100 delegates from government communication teams of ministries, federal entities, and the Sharjah Government. Participants discussed mechanism of developing government communication practices, boosting cooperation and coordination at all levels in the framework of the implementation of the Federal Government Communication Strategy (2014-2016).

Addressing the meeting, H.E. Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Chairman of Sharjah Media Centre, highlighted the leading experience of Sharjah Government in government communication, and reviewed the results of the fourth International Government Communication Forum, which was held last month in the presence of more than 2,500 local and regional leaders, experts and specialists in this sector.

H.E. Sheikh Sultan said: "Sharjah Media Centre is keen to implement the directives of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, to develop a modern system of government communication in the Emirate of Sharjah to cope with the rapid development of communication channels. Through several international initiatives such as the International Government Communication Forum, we have succeeded in highlighting the importance of this sector in the success of government work, not only in the UAE but also in the region."

H.E. Sheikh Sultan stressed that the success of government programs and policies depends on the effective use of different communication channels and strategies to meet the current needs of the public to interact and partner with the government. The Chairman of Sharjah Media Centre stressed the importance of coordination between local governments and the federal government to deliver consistent messages about each emirate as well as the entire country.

The meeting highlighted the most prominent features of the National Program for Government Communication (NPGC), aimed at utilizing the government communication channels in the best possible way to achieve the UAE National Agenda leading to the UAE Vision 2021, as a practical step towards enhancing the positive behavior of community members.

The participants also discussed the importance of employing innovation in the implementation of current and future plans, and the promotion of cooperation between the various stakeholders through dialogue sessions and workshops to support excellence of the UAE in the field of government communication in the region and the world.

This meeting is the outcome of recent cooperation efforts between the General Secretariat of the Cabinet and Sharjah Media Centre on sharing of knowledge, experiences and successful practices in the field of government communication. The participation of Sharjah Government came as an ideal opportunity to bring together government communication officials in the federal and local government as part of the strategy to activate joint government communication in the UAE.

This meeting is part of the Government Communication Network series organized by the Government Communication Office for the communication teams in the federal government.

-Ends-

For further information, please contact:
Nedal Al Asaad / Omar Badran                                                                                  
ASDA'A Burson-Marsteller                                                         
Tel: (+971 4) 4507600
Fax: (+971 4) 4358040 
E-mail: nedal.alasaad@bm.com, omar.badran@bm.com

© Press Release 2015