Sharjah24: The International Government Communication Centre (IGCC), an initiative of Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGMB), has called on the public to participate actively in voting for the best public campaign launched by UAE government entity last year in the ‘Best Community Impact Initiative – UAE’ category of the Sharjah Government Communication Award (SGCA). The category aims to strengthen community partnership in advancing government communications.

Five finalists have been chosen for the category. Voting for the finalists will remain open until August 2nd via the link https://www.igcc.ae/ar/events/sgca/voting.aspx-- 

The nominated campaigns include:

The inaugural 45-day,  #WorldsCoolestWinterChallenge, launched by the UAE Government Media Office, to spur domestic tourism by encouraging the public to share creative images and short videos of their outdoor experiences in UAE. 

The UAE Government Media Office’s Arab Reading Challenge, the largest-ever Arab literacy initiative, aimed to encourage students to read as many books as possible in one academic year.

“Child Digital Safety”, The UAE Ministry of Community Development’s campaign which is a joint program of the Ministry of Interior and the National Program for Happiness and Wellbeing, was launched on Emirati Children’s Day to help protect children from online threats by raising their awareness about safe internet use.

Don’t Worry, the seven-week national mental support campaign, launched by the National Program for Happiness and Wellbeing, was rolled out through social media platforms to support members of society to overcome the psychological impact of the current Covid -19 challenge. 

The National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority’s UAE National Vaccination campaign, was launched to highlight the importance of getting COVID-19 vaccine. 

His Excellency Tariq Saeed Allay, Director of Sharjah Government Media Bureau, said: “Over the years, SGCA has strengthened its position as an international platform to advance the culture and practice efficient communications and provide positive encouragement to all stakeholders in the development process. The ‘Best Community Impact Initiative – UAE’ category is particularly important because it is focused on elevating standards in government communication by engaging members of society in the process of shaping public campaigns.”

He added: “By voting to choose the most effective campaign, community members will utilise a key opportunity to participate in the UAE’s development process and contribute to influencing the formulation of government plans and programmes aimed at educating the public, generating awareness, and shaping opinion. I strongly urge all UAE residents and citizens to vote for their favourite campaign so that we are informed about communication strategies that are equally beneficial to both governments and the public.”

The Award, organised by IGCC and held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohamed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, is a global platform to promote best practices in government communication.