Dubai: The “2021 Healthy Children” campaign has been launched to raise awareness about healthy lifestyles of Emirati children and ensure a healthy life for future generations.

The campaign is under the umbrella of the National Programme for Government Communication (NPGC), and aims to position the UAE as one of the best countries worldwide in terms of health care services, in order to achieve the UAE Vision 2021.

The 2021 Healthy Children is one of the seven pillars of NPGC announced by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, during a cabinet meeting held Sunday.

The campaign includes a dedicated team of federal and local government entities chaired by the Ministry of Health. It also includes members representing the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Social Affairs, the General Authority for Youth and Sports Welfare, Dubai Health Authority and Abu Dhabi Health Authority.

The overall supervision and coordination will be overseen by the government communication office of the general secretariat of the cabinet.

Abdul Rahman Al Owais, Minister of Health, said the ministry has been developing a number of plans and programmes within the framework of the NPGC, including adopting policies to provide health care for children in the UAE and launch awareness campaigns to educate the community about healthy lifestyles, which will go on until March.

He said the campaign is in line with efforts to implement the National Agenda, particularly in line with efforts to reduce obesity levels in children by 17 per cent to 12 per cent as guided by the National Agenda.

He said the leadership has focused on advanced health care systems to ensure availability of inclusive and effective health service of the highest standards to all individuals.

The NPGC includes seven pillars: Healthy Children, Cohesive Family, Quality Education, Green Ideas, Sustainable Food, Prosperous Future, and Diabetes-free UAE.

The teams under the programme will develop a nationwide communication plan for each pillar to utilise all possible channels of innovative and effective communication. They will also coordinate roles and functions of government entities and private sectors and he civil society, and partner with international organisations and programmes specialised in these areas.