Abu Dhabi: His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, led the Let’s Walk march that took place at Abu Dhabi Corniche.
Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, and Lieutenant General Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, also participated in the event, which was organised by the ‘Healthy Children 2021’ campaign, an initiative of the National Programme for Government Communication (NPGC).
Students from all over the UAE participated in the march, which aims to promote a healthy lifestyle in UAE society through community engagement activities involving children and their parents.
Shaikh Mohammad encouraged children to adopt an active lifestyle by practising sports. “Children’s health is the focus of the government’s plans and we aim to support them in all areas considering that they are the main pillars of growth and development. Their contribution is vital to making the UAE one of the best countries in the world by 2021,” said Shaikh Mohammad.
Shaikh Mohammad said it is the responsibility of everyone to promote healthy lifestyle practices, and the best time to instil this is at a young age. He also called on all government and private sector entities to raise awareness in the community about the importance of adopting healthy behaviour.
The campaign, which was launched in January, will continue until mid-April. It includes a number of events and awareness activities such as ‘Let’s Run’, in which schoolchildren took part in these activities across the country. The ‘Let’s Walk’ event has witnessed the participation of families, youth and children to walk together across the UAE.
As part of the event, information on a healthy lifestyle was distributed at Abu Dhabi Corniche, Jumeirah Beach Walk, Al Barsha Pond Park, Al Khawaneej Park in Dubai, Al Majaz Waterfront in Sharjah, in addition to Al Qawasim Corniche in Ras Al Khaimah and Ajman Corniche.
The national campaign, ‘Healthy Children 2021’, is one of the key aspects of the National Programme for Government Communication, which is line with the National Agenda and UAE Vision 2021.
As an aspect dedicated to addressing the challenge of obesity among children in the UAE, the campaign aims to reduce obesity levels to 12 per cent by 2021. It will adopt efforts to promote healthy lifestyles in the UAE community, focusing on children as the cornerstone of the community.
