Sharjah - MENA Herald: Sharjah Media Centre (SMC), the media arm of the Government of Sharjah and organiser of the Sharjah Government Communication Award (GCA), hosted on Monday an open day to share insights about the GCA and highlight ways of participating in its Third edition.
Present on the occasion was HE Tariq Saeed Al Naqbi, Director of SMC, in addition to representatives of 35 government bodies, and a number of directors and officials of federal and local government communication departments, SMC employees, and a group of male and female University students.
The open day included interactive discussions among the officials in charge of government communication departments in local and federal entities and mass communication students who enquired about the mechanisms of participation in the award and criteria for the selection of winners. The attendees were enthusiastic about the pioneering the Sharjahinitiative that is dedicated to honouring best practices in government communication in the region. The deadline for submitting applications is January 31, 2016.
Welcoming the senior government officials and other participants, HE Tareq Saeed Al Naqbi expressed his appreciation for the efforts made by government communication departments in the country in enhancing the UAE’s positive image and developing healthy communication channels with the public.
The Director of SMC encouraged all those working in the government communication sector to strengthen internal cooperation and share ideas, experiences and best practices that would reflect positively on developing public administration and help in boosting its achievements to better serve the development goals and vision of the UAE.
Al Naqbi noted that the progress made by the UAE's government communication sector has improved the functioning of government departments and has become a milestone in excellence of services provided by various government entities.
The SMC Director thanked representatives of communication departments within government bodies for their presence at the open day and their proactive collaboration with the Sharjah Government Communication Award initiative since its inception. Al Naqbi noted that this support has enabled the GCA to develop and expand further and include more categories relevant to government communication in its purview.
Pointing out that the GCA’s Third edition is being held under the slogan, ‘Motivating Creativity, Motivating Achievement’, he emphasised that the theme truly embodies the spirit of all those keen to serve their country and people. The attendees underlined the definingrole the first-of-its kind GCA has played in encouraging excellence and competition in the sector, resulting in stimulating creativity and advancing government communication and its best practices in the region.
They also expressed their appreciation for SMC's efforts in enhancing synergies with government communication departments and disseminating their outstanding practices regionally and internationally, while achieving a genuine partnership with other governments to further develop government communication.
The prestigious Sharjah Government Communication Award aims to showcase best-in-class professional practices in the government communication sector in the UAE and wider GCC region. The GCA also aims to recognise the efforts of local and regional organisations, groups and individuals, and support their achievements and innovations towards enhancing prospects for communication with the public. Through such efforts, the GCA seeks to forge a genuine partnership between government entities and decision-makers on the one hand, and key stakeholders and diverse audiences on the other.