Media could be the 'massage' to communicate transparently and effectively, Jordan's Prince El Hassan bin Talal told the International Government Communication Forum in Sharjah this week.

"We must let go of our differences to be governed by our commonalities," he said in a recorded message to delegates. "I say, making these commonalities our strength, let's establish common respect and active interactions between the official and the citizen, breaking away from bureaucratic structures of governance and establish positive knowledge systems."

He spoke of a "post-communication age" in which the internet has become powerful enough to "cross borders, take down national powers and overthrow local traditional laws.

"It is redefining concepts of fear, love, hate, sympathy, learning, education, knowledge, success and failure."

The ninth IGCF was opened yesterday by Sheikh Dr Sultan Al Qasimi, who said delivering 'communication for the public' had been at the heart of Sharjah's 40-year cultural project. "Communication for the public is supposed to serve people," he said.

"Its objectives are, therefore, very different from communication adopted by entities not serving people. It must be directed towards informing people, encouraging dialogue, bringing positive changes in fields of health, education and security, and making the delivery of public services more transparent and effective through the use of right channels of communications."

Accountability for the success of public communications lay with multiple stakeholders from across various sectors, not just the government. "People in charge of internal and external communications in companies, journalists, PR professionals, website designers, media figures will together carry out these responsibilities," he added.

Chairman and founder of the Jordan-based Talal Abu-Ghazaleh GlobaTalal Abu-Ghazaleh said the internet offered the world a level playing field, "We can change the future of the Arab world by harnessing its power."

The 'godfather of Arab accounting' also emphasised that, "AI will govern our future, change our lives and every detailed aspect of it. The more you learn, the more you know how much you don't know. Internet is the only equal universal platform in the world. It is where everyone is offered a level playing field."

Bestselling author, theoretical physicist and futurist Michio Kaku talked about ways to fully harness full potential of the human mind, saying it was the most powerful force in the universe. "The human mind has moved rivers and mountains, created cities in the desert, but by itself the mind is powerless. It has to communicate, it has to engage, it has to share knowledge."

He said government communication - between people and the government, between scientists and policymakers - would create the next revolutions. "We all know about the four revolutions.

"The fifth one is the revolution of the mind. Soon, we will exchange messages through the human brain, mentally, in seconds. What is the future of the internet? It is brain-net. We will eventually be able to share memories and emotions via technology."

The forum's inaugural addresses included a discussion with Priyanka Chopra Jonas, global superstar and activist, and an speech by Irina Bokova, Bulgarian politician and former director-general of UNESCO.

Around 64 global thinkers and communications experts representing a comprehensive cross-section of fields from 16 nations worldwide, are leading 57 events, discussions and workshops, focusing on four pillars: 'Embedding a culture of engagement in government', 'Technology as a community enabler', 'Communication through culture', and 'Holistic well-being'.

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