ARAB NEWS

DUBAI: Bollywood star Priyanka Chopra Jonas touched down in the UAE this week for the opening day of the 9th edition of Sharjah’s International Government Communication Forum 2020 (IGCF 2020), which kicked off at the city’s Expo Center, where the former Miss World was a guest speaker.

Ahead of the two-day event, the 37-year-old uploaded a video of a live belly dance performance and geo-tagged Dubai, virtually announcing to her 50.4 million Instagram followers that she was in the UAE.

The Bollywood star and UNICEF Goodwill ambassador led a discussion on the impact of films and TV programs on shaping public opinion during a talk entitled “Why Does the Screen Have so Much Impact on Public Opinion” on Wednesday morning.

An accomplished actress, Chopra Jonas has starred in more than 60 films and won multiple acting awards throughout her career.

The actress and producer analyzed how media platforms can be used to achieve effective positive communication across cultures. The session was moderated by Lebanese journalist and co-presenter of “Arabs Got Talent,” Raya Abirached.

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For the occasion, Chopra looked sharp wearing a white, tailored blazer atop a silky, cream-colored slip skirt.

“I really enjoy having direct access with my fans and friends, instead of having a mediator… I feel like there is such a power to social media,” shared Chopra with the audience during the discussion.

“When it comes to being ambassadors of an organization like UNICEF, by taking someone like me who is a public person, to a place like Jordan, we are able to magnify the voices of people who don’t have it,” she added, recalling a recent visit to a Syrian refugee camp in Jordan in 2017.

Listed among Forbes’ Most Powerful Women in 2018, the humanitarian represents UNICEF as their Goodwill Ambassador. Last year she received the Danny Kaye Humanitarian award for her work promoting education and children’s rights.

During the panel talk, Chopra Jonas also discussed the significance of South Korean film “Parasite” winning a clutch of Academy Awards at the 2020 Oscars. “It’s an extremely amazing time to know that the world is opening up to foreign language, or non-English language, entertainment. That’s so important to culturally promote communication,” she stated.