Day: September 29, 2022

SHARJAH, The 11th annual edition of the International Communication Forum (IGCF) came to a successful close on Thursday with a 9-point recommendations list, which has emerged from two days of intensive deliberations, including a call to governments to partner with Arabic drama production companies to release works that can reach a global audience; preparing plans to build a culture of societal adaptation to crises, leading to ‘engineering change,’ and developing curricula to build influential leaders.

 

Themed ‘Challenges and Solutions’, the two-day forum organised by the International Government Communication Centre (IGCC), an initiative of the Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGMB), welcomed 17,400 visitors to 7 main discussion sessions, 6 preliminary activities, 10 inspiring speeches, 6 workshops, 13 interactive platforms and 40 side activities that shined light on a number of pressing humanitarian, cultural, economic, environmental, and developmental issues and the role of government communications in providing innovative solutions to overcome them.

 

During the closing ceremony held in the presence of Tariq Saeed Allay, Director-General of SGMB; Alya Al Suwaidi, Director of SGMB, said in her keynote speech, “After two days of conversations and deliberations on the role and impact of government communications to overcome challenges, IGCF 2022 has charted a set of recommendations – the fruit of the visions and ideas of 160 senior public officials, thought leaders and experts on the future of governments and the world.”

 

She added, “We hope these recommendations would serve as a solid foundation for developing a road map for government communication departments in the region and the world to overcome challenges and reach the desired global stability.”

 

The SGMB director thanked everyone who participated in the forum and contributed to the success.

 

IGCF 2022 recommendations The culmination of this two-day event is a list of 9 key recommendations, which was presented by Al Suwaidi during the closing ceremony. The recommendations include: A call to governments and their departments to develop digital platforms to encourage the participation of individuals, the private sector, influencers and content makers in voting for solutions to challenges and adopt the ones that win majority support.

 

The development of a Government Communication Governance Guide in partnership with concerned authorities and communication experts.

 

Creation of a specialised linguistic guide for crisis management with the most appropriate words and terminologies for public discourse.

 

Activating partnerships between governments and Arab drama production houses to deliver positive messages and create change on a global level; and invest in Arab drama productions that carry cultural values and celebrate the region’s heritage.

 

Development of educational curricula and training programmes that contribute to building influential young leaders as well as successive generations of youth capable of finding solutions to societal challenges.

 

A call for partnerships between communication teams in economic and academic institutions and study centres specialised in envisioning the economic future and developing preemptive solutions to probable economic problems.

 

Preparation of well-studied plans and programmes for all members of society aligned with their value systems and their needs in order to build a culture of adapting to crises and finding solutions by ‘engineering change’.

 

Preparations for the future of communication leveraging prospects created by Artificial Intelligence, Metaverse and emerging media technologies.

 

Develop government programmes to protect cultural diversity, maintain a balance between cultures, and respect differences and privacy.

 

At the end of the closing ceremony, Tariq Saeed Allay and Alya Al Suwaidi honoured speakers, partners and sponsors for their participation and their support in making this edition a success. The honoured entities were: Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Sharjah Broadcasting Authority; Sharjah Media City (Shams); Nama Women Advancement Establishment; The Big Heart Foundation; Department of Statistics and Community Development, Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority; Expo Centre Sharjah; Sharjah Asset Management; Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa); House of Wisdom; Rubu’ Qarn Foundation; 01 GOV; UAE University; Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services (SCHS); Arab Youth Center; Sky News Arabia and its academy; Dubai Media Incorporated; New Media Academy; Emirates News Agency (WAM); Sharjah Press Club; Dar Al Khaleej; Abu Dhabi Media; Artificial Intelligence Journalism for Research and Forecasting; Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); Arab Administrative Development Organization (ARADO) – Arab League; UNHCR; Emirates Airlines and ENEX.

 

Source: Emirates News Agency

SYDNEY, The Australian authorities succeeded in seizing about two tonnes of methamphetamines found inside shipping containers in a Sydney port, in cooperation with Dubai Customs, in the largest drug bust in Australia since 2019.

 

Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Chairman of the Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation (PCFC), said, “We are working to achieve integration in our efforts to protect society from risks and facilitate trade movement not only at the local level but also at the global level, in cooperation with the security authorities in the relevant entities to present an international unique model that distinguishes Dubai on the world map.”

 

Bin Sulayem explained that the success of this operation came as a result of the support and directives of the top leadership to work on developing deep and solid relations between the UAE and various countries of the world, in the field of combating organised crime, noting the keenness of Dubai Customs to support all security authorities in combating organised crime and drug smuggling around the world, to create a society free of narcotics. He explained that Dubai Customs will not stop there, but intelligence work is currently underway to find information related to other smuggling operations that will be announced later.

 

For his part, Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, CEO of PCFC and Director-General of Dubai Customs, stressed that Dubai Customs was the main success factor; from tracking and analysing shipments through intelligence obtained through the monitoring of these shipments and passing the information to the Australian authorities immediately. He added that this helped deliver the largest drug seizure in Australia since 2019, which involved a shipment, valued at AED4.04 billion, hidden inside marble slabs shipped from a neighbouring country.

 

Mahboob stressed the continuous efforts of Dubai Customs to support legitimate trade and protect society, highlighting the readiness of its employees to combat all customs and security risks at the local and global levels, in order to reduce smuggling operations and limit the bad impact narcotics have on countries and societies.

 

Mohammed Al Suwaidi, Intelligence Department Director at Dubai Customs, indicated that the Australian authorities had earlier been able to arrest a gang formation in August of this year, after finding 748 kilogrammes of methamphetamines hidden in 24 containers that arrived at a berth at Port Botany, while another 1,060 kilogrammes of methamphetamines were found in 19 containers that arrived at the same port.

 

This joint operation is not the only one of its kind this year, as there were other operations that resulted in the seizure of quantities of methamphetamines in air shipments that were scheduled to pass through to Dubai, from one of the largest organised cross-border crime gangs involved in trafficking narcotics, who intended to use them in smuggling operations between South America and Australia.

 

From his side, Colin Drysdale, the Regional Director of Middle East & Africa at the Australian Consulate General in Dubai, praised the close cooperation with Dubai Customs, expressing his appreciation to the UAE and Dubai Customs for their keenness and tireless work in the face of smuggling operations.

 

Source: Emirates News Agency