4 halls host 28 dialogue sessions at IGCF

Across 4 dedicated halls designed for 28 specialised discussions, debates and inspiring talks, IGCF 2023 will be turning the spotlight on ways inter- and intra-governmental collaboration will facilitate the exchange of best practices amongst various entities, while disseminating knowledge and expertise to academics, experts, officials, and government communication professionals on a variety of social, economic and developmental issues. 

Bringing global insights to local issues 
At the ‘Connecting Nations.. Building Relations’ Room, the Department of Government Relations (DGR) in Sharjah will co-host with IGCF 2023, five insightful discussion sessions, under the theme “Diplomatic Communication: Cross-border Experiences” including 'Experience of Costa Rica and Sharjah in sustainable food security: Processes and practices that make a difference' session, which will turn the spotlight on Sharjah and Costa Rica’s experiences in achieving sustainable food security in two very different and distant parts of the world and demonstrates how cross-cultural exchange can empower nations to overcome some of the most pressing challenges the world faces today.

The session 'UAE & Japan: Cross-Cultural Education in a Globalised World' will highlight best practices to ensure equal access to education. Meanwhile, the 'Scarcity in the midst of abundance: Deciphering the water security paradox' will discuss how to manage water resources efficiently and responsibly, and the role of government communication in driving positive change to achieve water security.

In the 'Role of international relations in an ever-shrinking world', participants will engage in conversations about international relations as a tool to enhance international cooperation, while in a session titled 'Relations between Sharjah and South Korea', speakers will discuss DGR's efforts that led to the selection of Sharjah as the regional headquarters for the King Sejong Institute.

Sharjah - how human potential can be harnessed as a nation’s most precious resource
The Department of Statistics and Community Development (DSCD) in Sharjah will organise six sessions and inspiring speeches during the two-day international event. These include ‘Empowering Families, Enriching Nations: Government Strategies for Human Resources Investment and Family Development’, highlighting the synergy between family well-being and human capital development as a cornerstone of societal progress; ‘A New Form of Soft Power: Empowering Women as an Economic Enabler’, that will explore women's roles in economic growth and strategies for enhancing their social participation.

In the session ‘Prioritising Well-being and Mental Health: A Catalyst for Flourishing Economies and Societies’, speakers will discuss how to address psychological challenges and pressures to increase productivity, while ‘Bridging the Soft Skills Gap for Human Capital Development’, will discuss how the youth can adeptly and confidently navigate the job market. In addition to two inspirational speeches presented by Dr. Khalil Al-Zyoud, family relations consultant.

Sharjah - innovations in sustainable agriculture and food security 
The Department of Agriculture and Livestock Resources in Sharjah will organise seven discussions, inspirational speeches and workshops at Room 6. These include discussion sessions titled ‘Agricultural Sustainability, ‘Sharjah's Agricultural Experience’, a speech about Sharjah's experience in wheat farming and its projects that promote sustainable food security, a workshop on ‘Biological Diversity’, ‘Sustainable Development of Livestock.. Integrated Dairy Farm’, ‘Sharjah Pastures Sustainable Strategy’, and ‘Agricultural Systems in Sustainable Greenhouses’.

Our Youth, Our Wealth Hall: A treasure trove of inspiration for future generations
For young individuals seeking to enhance their career and life opportunities, the Our Youth, Our Wealth Hall will broaden the perspectives of young people on diverse topics, which will be covered across 10 discussions and inspiring speeches led by Sharjah’s leading public entities.

The Sharjah Youth Council will host ‘Youth's role in developing the economy’, a session that will explore the emerging opportunities that young people can seize to contribute to economic growth. Meanwhile, ‘Positive citizenship in digital media’, will discuss responsible and creative ways of utilising social media platforms. Students of climate, agriculture and sustainability will benefit from the practical knowledge imparted by ‘Food security and its role in the future’, which will highlight the challenges and sustainable solutions to ensure adequate, safe and healthy food for all.

Trends Research & Advisory will organise a panel discussion titled ‘Managing Wealth in a Turbulent World: Harnessing Human Capital and Investing in Today's Youth’, which will delve into the role of wealth management in achieving financial security, highlighting the strength of youth as a key factor in overcoming challenges and capitalising on opportunities.

Sharjah’s Rubu' Qarn Foundation will host a discussion titled ‘Sustainability (Natural Resources and Environment)’, highlighting challenges and solutions for protecting the environment.

The session, ‘The end of the world – Ruwaq’, will delve into the dystopian genre and learn from fictitious disasters and cautionary tales of environmental degradation. Meanwhile, Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa) will organise a roundtable titled ‘Creative marketing challenges faced by entrepreneurs’, that delves into the complexities and challenges of this field, approaches, mechanisms, and practical examples for attracting attention and fostering creativity. 

A key highlight of the programme at the Our Youth Our Wealth Hall is a celebration of young achievers. Young entrepreneurs and changemakers who have made an impact on society will be taking the stage to share their inspiring stories of success titled “Youth successful experiences.” Finally, Dr. Suad Abdullah Al-Taraban, will share her story of how she went on to make her scholarly work more widely accessible by translating it into Braille language for the benefit of the visually impaired community in ‘Transforming words into tactile grace’ talk.