The battle is not only about whose army wins, but also whose story wins

The “Gulf Influencers” event, the Gulf platform organized by the Media Office of the Government of the United Arab Emirates, was launched today at the Atlantis The Palm Hotel in Dubai and witnessed extensive sessions and dialogues, to discuss ways to unify efforts and visions to develop an influential media discourse capable of strengthening the Gulf presence in the international scene, building a tight and clear Gulf narrative, and sending joint strategic messages to the region and the world.

The event was attended by Mohammed Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs, Dr. Sultan bin Saif Al Neyadi, Minister of State for Youth Affairs, Dr. Anwar bin Mohammed Gargash, Diplomatic Advisor to His Highness the President of the State, Samira bin Rajab Al Katebah, former Minister of Information in the Kingdom of Bahrain, Dr. Saad bin Tafla Al Ajmi, former Minister of Information in the State of Kuwait, Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Butti Al Hamid, Chairman of the National Media Authority, and a number of leaders, government officials and media professionals in countries. Gulf Arab.

The event, in which more than 1,000 Gulf media professionals, thinkers and content makers participate, aims to find an effective joint formula to convey the voice and point of view of the Gulf to the world regarding the accelerating regional and international changes, and to empower content makers by developing their creative abilities and tools to create meaningful content that objectively expresses the aspirations of the peoples of the region in facing challenges, and presents the national narrative and message of the region’s societies with high professionalism and unlimited global influence.

Saeed Al-Eter, Head of the UAE Government Media Office, stressed the importance of the global narrative battle and the necessity of conveying the voice of the Gulf and its narrative to the world during the next stage, pointing out that some parties bet on the decline of the Gulf model, but reality has proven its ability to withstand crises, its cohesion and harmony with the world, and its possession of a balanced intellectual approach that ensures its continuation with strength and influence.

His Excellency Saeed Al-Eter explained that the Gulf countries today represent a pivotal player in the global economy, energy markets, supply chains and international trade, in addition to their growing role in future sectors such as artificial intelligence. At the same time, he wondered about the extent of their influence in creating global awareness and the international media narrative, adding: “We hope to see that day when we will be influential in this.”

His Excellency stressed the importance of the novel and the narrative that we create, answering a question posed by His Excellency at the beginning of his speech, “Why are we here today?” by saying: “We are here today to influence this narrative.”

His Excellency Saeed Al-Eter said: “Today we are living in sensitive historical moments for all of our countries… We are not only dealing with events on the borders of the homelands because the image of these homelands is also very important, and their narrative as well. The battle is not only for whose army is victorious, but also for whose story is victorious.”

His Excellency added: “Today we are not only dealing with external media stories, but we are also dealing with who is making this story and how this story is being made,” noting that today’s technical tools and artificial intelligence have taken the media and media tools to a completely different place.

His Excellency Saeed Al-Eter referred to a study by the Cambridge Information Trust Index which revealed that with only $10 a person can collect 95,000 views and 200 comments. He also referred to a study conducted by an important international image manufacturing company in which it concluded that 70% of people do not differentiate between the real image and the image made with artificial intelligence, and therefore, “if the image can be faked, awareness can be falsified and thus the truth falsified.”

His Excellency concluded by emphasizing the importance of unifying the Gulf media discourse and promoting rapprochement between its countries, ensuring the delivery of a unified narrative to the world in more influential and effective ways, stressing that the event aims to move from the stage of interacting with narratives to leading and creating them, instead of simply defending the mental image, and working to formulate it in a proactive and influential manner on the global scene.