Shadiah Abdullah Al Jabry
SHARJAH — Disasters test the ability of government communicators to take action and establish credibility, efficacy and public confidence, said media experts during the second day of the fifth International Government Communication Forum (IGCF 2016) held in Sharjah.
Titled ‘Natural and Humanitarian Disasters: From Crisis Management to Strategic Communication’, the session highlighted the challenges government communication units face, the steps taken when dealing with the aftermath of a crisis, the public impression about disaster preparedness and the ease with which media handles emergencies.
Bernard Kouchner, Co-Founder and President of Doctors Without Borders (1971-1979), Doctors of the World (1980-1988) and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of France (2007-2011), highlighted the important relationship between the government and civil society. He said that non-profit organizations have an obligation to deal with humanitarian crises and play a big role in pushing governments to accept and welcome refugees into their countries.
Discussing how governments can build trust, David Miliband, President and CEO of International Rescue Committee and Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of the United Kingdom (2007-2010), said that governments face two dangerous and potentially harmful temptations. One is to undergo a communication blackout and shield media from the truth. The second is to monopolize wisdom and pretend that they know everything. Governments can build trust, he said, by offering information to the medial and telling the public what they do and do not know. He said governments should not shy away from interrogations, but instead should address concerns honestly.
According to Miliband, government communication has to build and reinforce a sense of confidence. The wide distribution of information on the organized response is crucial to gain confidence. Nowadays, governments cannot monopolize organized response and must work in collaboration with the media and non-profit organizations. He said democratization of information and greater international collaboration will make the world a better place.
Addressing the role of Red Crescent, Fahad Abdulrahman bin Sultan, Deputy Secretary General of Marketing and Fundraising at the Emirates Red Crescent, said that the UAE is a pioneer in adopting effective strategies for crisis and disaster management. Red Crescent works with ministries, foreign actors and local organizations to establish relief plans for people during crises. Organising training workshops and real-time drills, Red Crescent and the UAE are prepared to take action and limit repercussions of a disaster. He added that the media plays an important role in helping humanitarian organisastions plan, manage and anticipate disasters. He did, however, note that the region requires a media outlet for humanitarian affairs, one that documents and covers humanitarian disasters and issues.
From the perspective of the media, John Simpson, World Affairs Editor at BBC, said that the media nowadays tries to push governments to take action rather than present facts. The media want to assert their influence on the political and national landscape. He suggested that the media take a more natural approach and remember that they need to appeal to the ordinary people and report on humanitarian issues in a way that elicits a humane response from the public.
Speaking on the refugee scenario, Simpson said that the real value of the media is not to encourage governments to act one-way, but to tell ordinary people as honestly and openly as possible why refugees leave the country, what they want and what conditions they are living in.
Agreeing with Simpson, Kouchner said that humanitarian organisations are obliged to help open borders. He said the fact that Europe has closed its doors to migrants looking for new opportunities in European countries is a shame. Refugees and people of all nationalities, religions and economic backgrounds should be welcomed into Europe. The government, he said, plays a big role in affecting change and shaping public opinion. If governments do not take action, then problems of racism, nationalism and populism will have a harmful effect on humanitarian issues, he concluded.
Themed ‘Citizens for Prosperity’, IGCF 2016 focuses on the symbiotic relationship between governments and their people, and explores how government communication touches different aspects of people’s everyday life either directly or indirectly through its impact on vital socio-economic sectors. The sectors in focus include education, health care, unemployment, and poverty eradication, among others.
