Sharjah Meets Majority of Healthy Cities Programme's Criteria

Sharjah Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler: “Sharjah pays utmost attention to health and the environment”

Sharjah-UAE: March 30, 2014 – A report by Sharjah Media Centre (SMC) emphasised the importance of the projects implemented by Sharjah for maintaining a healthy and safe environment for its people. Such projects, according to the report, have raised the emirate's international status, leading to its recognition as the first healthy city in the region by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Sharjah, which boasts great environmental, social, cultural and economic potential, was able to meet 30 to 40 of the WHO's 80 criteria points before it even joined the Healthy Cities programme.

His Highness (HH) Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, affirmed that Sharjah pays utmost attention to health and the environment. This is due to the emirate's keenness to improve the conditions in which people live and work through a set of strategic programmes, projects and initiatives that translate its health vision, which emanates from the directives of HH Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah.

The Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah expressed his appreciation for the efforts made by the steering committee responsible for managing the integration of Sharjah into the WHO's Healthy Cities programme. He praised the collaboration that occurred between the emirate's people and various sectors to fulfil the requirements of joining the Healthy Cities programme.

He called for the continuance of this collaboration, confirming the active follow-up and support of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah for matters related to health and the environment.
Sheikh Essam bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Advisor at the Ruler's Office and President of the Steering Committee responsible for managing the integration of Sharjah into the WHO's Healthy Cities programme, said that the emirate is implementing plans and projects that comply with the WHO's standards.  He indicated that Sharjah has met most of those standards and is set to meet at least 80 per cent of them and be announced the first healthy city in the region by late this year.

He added: “Based on the directives of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, and his keenness to protect human health and achieve health equity for all people in Sharjah, many projects have been completed and measures  taken to provide a healthy environment for everyone in the emirate.”

He clarified that Sharjah's health vision has helped in creating a solid infrastructure that conforms with the requirements of sustainable development, which has played a key role in qualifying the emirate for acceptance in the WHO's Healthy Cities programme.

SMC's report cited that once Sharjah's registration for the programme was accepted, the steering committee was formed to draw strategies and plans to meet the main requirements of integration into the programme.

Her Excellency Sheikha Jameela bint Muhammad bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Deputy chairperson of Supreme Council for Family Affairs, Chairperson of the Sharjah Healthcare City, Director of Musandah Committee and Executive Director of Sharjah Healthy City Program, confirmed Sharjah's achievement of 70 per cent of the WHO's standards and expected the emirate to be declared a healthy city by early 2015.
 
HE Sheikha Jameela bint Muhammad bin Sultan Al Qasimi pointed to the coordination and cooperation that took place between government and other entities in the emirate to meet the WHO's standards.

She mentioned that an executive office for the Healthy Cities programme has been established at the Supreme Council for Family Affairs in fulfilment of the programme's requirements.
For her part, Dr. Samar Al Faqi, Technical Manager of the WHO's Healthy Cities programme, praised Sharjah's health standards and environmental concerns and described the emirate as an example to be followed by other countries in the region.

Dr. Al Faqi asserted that Sharjah earned its integration into the Healthy Citites programme, indicating that the WHO's standards that were achieved by Sharjah in a very short period of time would take a number of years to be fulfilled by other countries.

Dr. Saqr Al Mualla, Deputy Director of Musandah Committee and Deputy Executive Director of Sharjah Healthy City Program, clarified that this preventive programme is designed to promote health through improving the environmental, social and economic aspects that affect it, as well as through collective action and constant search for innovation.

Dr. Al Mualla said that Sharjah's integration into the programme was the inevitable result of continuous efforts that had established a solid health care base for Sharjah's people. He noted that the integration reflected the joint effort between all entities in Sharjah.

SMC's report highlighted the important role of Sharjah's health and environmental laws in maintaining a healthy environment for its citizens and residents alike.

Mansour bin Nassar, Director of the Legal Office of HH the Ruler of Sharjah, said that Sharjah has adopted a wide range of laws that help protect the environment and public health and align with its human welfare-focused vision.

He revealed that Sharjah introduced a bundle of laws to protect the environment and public health decades ago, citing that that Sharjah was the first in the UAE to pass a piece of legislation to prevent environmental degradation in wilderness areas.

Bin Nassar cited the health and sanitation laws that were approved by Sharjah for the purpose of protecting the environment against pollutants and preserving public health.
He said that in addition to its health and environmental laws, Sharjah has numerous projects that seek to reduce pollution and maintain a clean environment. He pointed to the Sharjah Executive Council's decision to treat medical waste, which was the basis of Wiqaya, the first project in the region to reduce pollution from medical waste, in addition to Bee'ah, a company that works in full swing to encounter the problems of pollution.

The Director of the Legal Office of HH the Ruler of Sharjah also pointed to the Environment and Protected Areas Authority, which was established with the aim of preserving the environment and natural reserves and, hence, complements Sharjah's environmental programmes.

It is noteworthy that Sharjah is currently working to meet more of the Healthy Cities programme's criteria, which requires that at least 80 per cent of those criteria be fulfilled.

The programme's criteria cover various areas, including the environment, environmental services, housing, agricultural land and social development, such as family and child care, as well as safety, security and crisis management.