Agenda - 2015

Opening ceremony under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah

Studies, research and experiments continue to focus on the domain of government communication with a view to broadening its scope and furthering its role as a resourceful tool in enhancing communication between government departments and, more importantly, between governments and their public.

Government communication departments worldwide are continually looking to enhance their methods of communication with the public. A key priority for these departments is to create an environment that fosters dialogue and interaction between the governments and the people they represent/serve. This is particularly relevant in today’s scenario where government communication is no more about serving as a mere voice of the government. In its broadened scope, the focus of the sector is as much about strengthening relations between various governmental bodies and the public, creating a platform to discuss issues that concern the public, and establishing harmony among various departments to ensure the messages of the government are delivered in the most accurate and timely manner.

As the 27th Prime Minister of Australia and in her previous role as Deputy Prime
Minister, Gillard played a pivotal role in the successful management of
Australia’s economy - the 12th largest in the world - during the global financial crisis. Gillard developed Australia’s
guiding policy paper, ‘Australia in the Asian Century’. During her tenure, she delivered nation-changing policies such as reforming Australia education system, creating an emissions trading scheme, improving the provision and sustainability of health care, launching the nation’s first ever scheme to care for people with disabilities, restructuring the telecommunications sector, and building a national broadband network.

In foreign policy, Gillard strengthened Australia’s alliance with the US, and secured stronger architecture for the relationship with China, India, Japan, Indonesia and South Korea. She has represented Australia at the G20, and won Australia’s right to host the 2014 meeting.

Several researchers have attributed the rapid evolution of the communications landscape to the internet. Projections indicate that the development of the virtual world over the past two decades is but the beginning of a wave that will completely and dramatically impact all aspects of life.

An official spokesperson is the voice of the government, and the focal point for connecting public administration with the media.

Lakhdar Brahimi is an Algerian United Nations diplomat, who served as the United Nations and Arab League Special Envoy to Syria until May 14, 2014

The European Union (EU) draws up its budgets every seven years. In an EU with 28 member states, it is virtually impossible to satisfy every citizen’s needs. Reactions are, therefore, always mixed. More lately, public perception of the EU - and specially the budget - has shifted from 'neutral' to 'negative'.

Two recent high profile tragedies for Malaysia Airlines and the significant role of digital communications in disseminating news and information on major stories will serve as the focal points of the workshop.

In a world dictated by enormous upheaval, the onset of digital technology is changing the relationship between governments and their people. More and more, traditional command and control systems appear slow and unwieldy while reporting a crisis in comparison to digital media platforms that offer instant coverage.

On 20 April 2010, the mammoth explosion of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil rig situated in the Gulf of Mexico caused one of the largest maritime disasters and oil spills in US history leading to considerable reputation damage and financial losses for BP. To deal with the huge financial losses and the set-back to its credibility, the company used many tactics and tools to communicate with external and internal stakeholders during and after the crisis.

In the days following the crisis, BP’s Chief Executive Officer Tony Hayward did not follow the advice of his communications team, refused to take ownership and passed the blame on to its key partners in the project – Haliburton and Transocean. BP had to face brickbats on all sides for poor crisis communication as well as faults in its management practice.

On 20 April 2010, the mammoth explosion of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil rig situated in the Gulf of Mexico caused one of the largest maritime disasters and oil spills in US history leading to considerable reputation damage and financial losses for BP. To deal with the huge financial losses and the set-back to its credibility, the company used many tactics and tools to communicate with external and internal stakeholders during and after the crisis.

In the days following the crisis, BP’s Chief Executive Officer Tony Hayward did not follow the advice of his communications team, refused to take ownership and passed the blame on to its key partners in the project – Haliburton and Transocean. BP had to face brickbats on all sides for poor crisis communication as well as faults in its management practice.

In a world dictated by enormous upheaval, the onset of digital technology is changing the relationship between governments and their people. More and more, traditional command and control systems appear slow and unwieldy while reporting a crisis in comparison to digital media platforms that offer instant coverage.