UAE, December 5, 2016 - The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention recently participated in the 9th Global Conference on Health Promotion, Shanghai 2016 in China which was held under the theme ‘Promoting Health in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Health for All and All for Health.’ Dr. Hussein Abdel-Rahman Al Rand, Assistant Undersecretary of the Health Centers and Clinics Sectors, and Dr. Fadila Mohammed Sharif, Director of the Health Education and Promotion Department, represented the Ministry. 

Dr. Al Rand stated that the Ministry participated in the panel discussion on ‘Ending Childhood Obesity: How can progress on SDGs 2 and 3 be accelerated by strengthening good governance for health through action across government sectors?’ During the session, he elaborated that the elimination of childhood obesity is a priority for the UAE Government, being an integral part of UAE Vision 2021. Dr. Al Rand also mentioned that the Ministry aims to reduce the rate of obesity among children in the 5 to 17 age group by 12 per cent by 2021, highlighting all the initiatives and programs undertaken to realize the objective.

Dr. Sharif pointed out the Ministry’s numerous initiatives to combat obesity in children, including ‘2021 Healthy Children’ and ‘Lets Walk’ to raise awareness on healthy lifestyles along with the ‘School Canteens Guideline’ to promote healthy eating in school. She also talked about the Ministry’s participation in the accompanying conference at the 9th Global Conference on Health Promotion, Shanghai 2016 with three awareness posters.

The 9th Global Conference on Health Promotion, Shanghai 2016 announced the Shanghai Declaration on Health Promotion which commits to make bold political choices for health, emphasizing the links between health and well-being and the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development goals. This will inspire national governments and decision makers to promote healthy lifestyle choices and activities across all segments of society in the next 15 years.