Mohammed leads children's march to encourage healthy lifestyle in UAE

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, along with Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, on Tuesday led the ‘Let’s Walk’ march on the Abu Dhabi Corniche, 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.

Encouraging children to adopt an active lifestyle by participating in physical activities, Sheikh Mohammed said, "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."

He said it is the responsibility of everyone to promote healthy lifestyle practices, and the best time to instill 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 last January, will continue until mid-April. It includes a number of events and awareness activities such as ‘Lets Run’ in which school students 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 healthy lifestyle was distributed in an innovative manner 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 main pillars of the National Programme for Government Communication that is guided by the National Agenda and UAE Vision 2021.

As a dedicated pillar to address the challenge of obesity among children in the UAE, the campaign aims to reduce obesity levels to 12 per cent by 2021. It will foster efforts to promote healthy lifestyles in the UAE community, focusing on children as the cornerstone of the community.

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