COVID -19 VIRUS GLOBAL THINKERS GATHER TO SEEK SOLUTIONS AT THE IGCF

COVID -19 Virus Global Thinkers Gather To Seek Solutions At The IGCF

Source: IGCF

Location: EXPO Centre, Sharjah, UAE

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February 4^th, March, EXPO. Sharjah International Government Communications Forum in Sharjah, UAE

With  COVID-19 dominating the news headlines worldwide, global thinkers, celebrities and statesmen offer their prognosis and chart the course of action.

Actor and Activist Priyanka Chopra Jones, Futurist Dr. Michio Kaku, former President of Colombia H.E. Juan Santos and other leading voices have spoken about the measures to tackle Coronavirus at the 9th International Government Communications Forum in Sharjah, UAE.

Headlining the Forum, Actor and Activist Priyanka Chopra Jones spoke passionately about the role of the entertainment industry to promote diversity and cultural awareness and also addressed the issues of social responsibility and toxicity of social media.  

Health checks at airports, deep cleans of public spaces - containment measures have kicked into gear around the world, but will they help to stop the spread of the coronavirus?

While many international events have been cancelled, 64 global thinkers, celebrities and statesmen gathered in Sharjah, UAE to discuss effective government communications as they chart the course of action to tackle the virus.

Former President of Colombia Juan Manuel Santos drew on his experience of containing chikungunya virus and El Niño weather events:

“My recommendation to any government is don’t underestimate the problem, never try to hide the truth, don’t manipulate the health officials and experts, allow as much information as possible. What I hope is that something that we are experiencing open our eyes to the world to appreciate the importance of international cooperation.”

Physicist Michio Kaku aims to understand the future of humanity based on his grand “theory of everything”. He’s spoken about the future of AI and the new tech enabling telepathic communications.

Talking about the future development of the virus, he found it hard to assess the scale of what’s to come: 

Futurist Michio Kaku: “I think right now you have to be a little bit pessimistic because it hasn't peaked yet. But look at the flu virus. At one point, the flu virus is also quite, quite dangerous. But over time, it begins to lose some of its lethality. So let's hope that we're entering that phase in the coming months. But it's impossible to say right now.”

Actress, producer and activist Priyanka Chopra Jones was one of the headliners at the event to talk about the power of entertainment industry to change narratives.

She said influencers are as vulnerable to the virus and said all communications are best left to the governments: 

“No, I don't think we have a role to play in educating people about the Coronavirus, because I think we're just as vulnerable to it as anyone else. And we have as much information or lack of information thereof as everybody else. I just I would implore everyone to, you know, to wash your hands and just educate yourself as much as we know. And I would also implore the governments to give us a lot more information as they find out. “

Irina Bokova, former Director General of UNESCO and a recent candidate for the UN’s top job talked about the dangers of a possible pandemic in an increasingly nationalist world:

“Governments prefer to deal with bilateral issues, multilateralism is under threat, but I don’t see any other possibility of solving global issues that do not know geographical and geopolitical borders. Coronavirus is definitely one of those issues that testify to the fact that these problems will not stop at the border and are not confined in one single country.”

Coronavirus cases have grown in the Middle East in the past week, crossing a threshold of 3000 infections with more than 90 deaths. 

Over the past few days a decision had been taken to have schools and universities to be closed for a period of four weeks starting from Sunday, March 8.

The UAE has also been helping Iran, facilitating a WHO mission to deliver medical supplies and equipment.

Also included in the edit:

Headlining the Forum, Actor and Activist Priyanka Chopra Jones spoke passionately about the role of the entertainment industry to promote diversity and cultural awareness and also addressed the issues of social responsibility and toxicity of social media.  

About

THE INTERNATIONAL GOVERNMENT COMMUNICATION CENTRE (IGCC)

The International Government Communication Centre (IGCC) is the first specialised facility in the field of government communication, in the Arab region. It is a qualitative and strategic initiative, besides being a scientific, intellectual, knowledge-based, and specialised research establishment. The Centre is considered an important reference in all areas of government communication locally, regionally, and internationally. The IGCC is an extension to the success of the International Government Communication Forum (IGCF).

It is a practical, theoretical, scientific, and intellectual platform to support the efforts made by Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGMB) in introducing cutting-edge developments in the field of government communication. Additionally, the IGCC provides the necessary research, training, and international expertise with a view to develop the skills of government communication professionals locally, regionally, and internationally.

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SCRIPT

COVID -19 Virus Global Thinkers Gather To Seek Solutions At The IGCF

SHOTLIST

Incheon, South Korea - Archive, 25 Feb 2020

1. Various shots of checks On Passengers At South Korea's Incheon Airport

Daegu, South Korea - Archive, Feb 23, 2020

1. Various shots of street disinfections in Daegu in South Korea
2. Various of machine checking visitor's body temperature

Sharjah, UAE - March 5, 2020

1. Various shots of exteriors and interiors at the International Government Communication Forum 
2. Set up shots for Former President of Colombia Juan Manuel Santos
3. SOUNDBITE (English), Former President of Colombia Juan Manuel Santos “My recommendation to any government is don’t underestimate the problem, never try to hide the truth, don’t manipulate the health officials and experts, allow as much information as possible. What I hope is that something that we are experiencing open our eyes to the world to appreciate the importance of international cooperation.”
4. Set up shots of futurist, physicist and author Michio Kaku 
5. SOUNDBITE (English), Futurist Michio Kaku: “I think right now you have to be a little bit pessimistic because it hasn't peaked yet. But look at the flu virus. At one point, the flu virus is also quite, quite dangerous. But over time, it begins to lose some of its lethality. So let's hope that we're entering that phase in the coming months. But it's impossible to say right now.”
6. Set up shots of actress, producer and activist Priyanka Chopra Jones: 
7. SOUNDBITE (English), Actress, producer and activist Priyanka Chopra Jones “No, I don't think we have a role to play in educating people about the Coronavirus, because I think we're just as vulnerable to it as anyone else. And we have as much information or lack of information thereof as everybody else. I just I would implore everyone to, you know, to wash your hands and just educate yourself as much as we know. And I would also implore the governments to give us a lot more information as they find out. “
8. Set up shots of Irina Bokova, former Director General of Unesco
9. SOUNDBITE (English), Irina Bokova, former Director General of Unesco “Governments prefer to deal with bilateral issues, multilateralism is under threat, but I don’t see any other possibility of solving global issues that do not know geographical and geopolitical borders. Coronavirus is definitely one of those issues that testify to the fact that these problems will not stop at the border and are not confined in one single country.”
10. Various shots of the International Government Communication Forum 
11. Various shots of Sharjah city

Dubai, UAE - Archive, 2 Mar 2020

1. Various shots of WHO mission to deliver medical supplies and equipment to Iran being loaded at the Dubai airport

Sharjah, UAE - March 5, 2020

1. Various shots of Sharjah, UAE

Sharjah, UAE - March 5, 2020

1. Various shots of actress, producer and activist Priyanka Chopra Jones on stage at the IGCF 
2. SOUNDBITE (English), Actress, producer and activist Priyanka Chopra Jones “I do feel like there's a lot that the entertainment business can do to promote culture, to promote diversity, to promote different countries and authentic, not the stereotypes of different certain cultures, but actually exploring the authenticity of each culture. I feel like that's something that we haven't done so much. We are definitely exploring that with the Internet coming in and streaming coming in such a big way. And that access gives us incredible power to be able to expose different cultures and cross-pollinate different cultures. And I feel like the entertainment business is sort of catching up to that. We're getting there. We're creating enormous amounts of content that is cross-cultural, whether it's in India or in the US. Since I've been working in both, but it's wonderful to watch.”
3. Various shots of actress, producer and activist Priyanka Chopra Jones on stage at the IGCF 
4. SOUNDBITE (English), Actress, producer and activist Priyanka Chopra Jones “This phenomenon of public people becoming influencers in the last 20 years since the Internet, I guess. And I do think that there is a sense of responsibility that comes along with it. But I feel like it's individual, but I don't think we've bifurcated that fine line very much yet because we're still sort of evolving with it. But I do think that heads of states, people who've been elected, they definitely have to have a sense of responsibility. We as citizens of everyday world who've been privileged with a platform, should take a stand about things that we personally believe in. But we shouldn't be held accountable for everything that that happens.” 
5. Various shots of actress, producer and activist Priyanka Chopra Jones on stage at the IGCF 
6. SOUNDBITE (English), Actress, producer and activist Priyanka Chopra Jones “Social media has was, I think, created to bring the world together and in a more positive way so that we could access each other really quickly and actually connect the world. But the negativity of the negativity that comes along with it is I guess it's become a part and part of the beast. I think it's a really important thing for us to understand that the Internet is not going anywhere and be prepared and make sure that we teach our children, especially the vulnerable, that there has to be a difference between people's opinions which you've never seen or you don't know, sitting behind the anonymity of their computer. Do your actual friends and your family and the people who were there to support you? I think that's extremely crucial. “
7. Various shots of actress, producer and activist Priyanka Chopra Jones on stage at the IGCF