The International Government Communication Forum 2018 (IGCF) is to play host to distinguished British policy advisor Simon Anholt, who will be speaking on how nations can improve government communication practices to officially become a ‘Good Country’.

Anholt is an independent consultant who has worked with many heads of states and governments over the past 20 years, developing and implementing strategies to strengthen economic, political and cultural participation and engage more productively and imaginatively with the rest of the world.

He has established many international initiatives, foremost of which are the ‘Good Country Movement’, which aims to improve the culture of governance, the ‘Good Country Index’ to measure each country’s contribution to humanity, and the ‘Anholt-GfK Nation Brands Index, which measures the power and quality of each country’s brand image and economic achievements.

The session at the two-day event, organised by the International Government Communication Centre on March 28-29 at Expo Centre Sharjah under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohamed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, is part of the IGCF’s efforts to help government communication officials contribute to enhancing the positive image of their countries.

Anholt will speak on the issue of harnessing government communication effectively to work with community members in building a better global society and will explore mechanisms that governments can adopt to build strong ‘nation brands.’ Besides, he will discuss ways of improving government communication processes to encourage community interaction in light of continuing technological advances, adding value for the benefit of humanity.

Jawaher Al Naqbi, Manager of the International Government Communication Centre, a part of the Sharjah Government Media Bureau, said: “Simon Anholt adds an important dimension to the Forum highlighting the strategic role of government communication as a direct gateway to the brand and humanitarian perception of a nation in the eyes of the rest of the world.”

She added: “To be able to hear first-hand from the expert who has effectively set the criteria on which this status is measured is a great opportunity for government communicators to understand how their contributions can enhance their country’s international stature – particularly in a digital age.”

The ‘Good Country Index’ measures each country’s impact and contribution to humanity on the grounds of seven key criteria: science and technology; culture; international peace and security; world order; planet and climate; prosperity and equality; and health and wellbeing. Each criterion covers five areas in which index measures the contribution of the ‘good country’ to global communities.

The index aims to reflect how much each of the 163 countries on the list contribute to the planet and to the human race through their policies and behaviour. Netherlands ranked first in 2017, followed by Switzerland, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Sweden, Ireland, Britain, Austria and Norway. The results were based on 35 separate indices, based on their scientific, cultural, political, health and environmental contributions to good common of humanity in general, not only for their own citizens.

The IGCC has chosen ‘Digital Millennium... Where To?’ as its theme for the seventh edition of the IGCF in line with the current government communication strategies and initiatives in presenting the transition of government communication practices from conventional to a more sophisticated and integrated framework in keeping pace with the digital age.