Sharjah: The City of Sharjah was officially confirmed as the first World Health Organisation (WHO) Healthy City in the Middle East during a special ceremony on Wednesday in the presence of senior WHO officials and the emirate’s leaders.
His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, received WHO’s Healthy City Adoption Citation from Dr Ala Alwan, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean.
Dr Shaikh Sultan emphasised that education is the basis for building societies and, without it, no health system can be established in any society.
The healthy-city designation is part of a growing list of accomplishments for Sharjah which, Dr Shaikh Sultan said, has set up a seed bank, established natural sanctuaries to protect endangered species and launched tourism projects that serve the biodiversity of the emirate, in addition to enacting laws to deal with environmental violations.
During the ceremony, Dr Shaikh Sultan presented a shield to Dr Alwan.
According to WHO officials, Sharjah will also be a regional training centre for other cities seeking an endorsement to join the programme.
Sharjah joined the WHO Healthy Cities Programme in 2012, to put health at the top of the social, economic and development agenda of the emirate and ensure the well-being of its residents.
The WHO declared Sharjah the first Healthy City in the Middle East earlier this year, based on the new criteria set by the WHO Healthy Cities Programme, leading to its confirmation on Wednesday.
Over a period of three years, Sharjah has been able to meet 88 per cent of the 80 criteria for membership in the Healthy Cities programme, above the 80 per cent minimum required by the WHO, officials said.
In fact, the emirate was able to meet 40 of the criteria before it even joined the programme, officials said.
Experts from the UN health watchdog have assisted the Sharjah government in embracing global best practices and meeting the exacting criteria of the WHO Healthy Cities Programme.
Over the years, following the directives of its leadership, Sharjah systematically invested in and implemented initiatives to improve the health, safety and well-being of its residents — from upgrading transport infrastructure to embracing internationally recognised environment practices and standards of waste management.
In May this year, Dr Shaikh Sultan received a delegation of senior WHO officials in the presence of Shaikh Essam Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Adviser at the Ruler of Sharjah’s Office and Chairman of the Higher Committee for Sharjah.
