A delegation from the World Health Organization's (WHO) Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean visited Qatar to review the Ministry of Public Health's request for the municipalities of Doha and Al Rayyan in order to obtain the approval of the “Health City for 2021”.

The Ministry of Public Health and its partners in various sectors of the country are working to have the municipalities of Doha and Al Rayyan recognized by WHO as healthy cities, as part of a project that will eventually see the municipalities of Al Wakra, Al Khor, and Al Shamal recognized as well, with the goal of providing a healthy environment for citizens, residents, and visitors.

Given Qatar has a strong commitment to healthy cities, one of the objectives of the National Health Strategy 2018-2022 is for at least one city to be accredited as a "Healthy City" by WHO by 2022 through implementing intersectoral collaboration under the "Health in All Policies" priority.

Dr. Samar El Feky, Regional Officer of Community-Based Initiatives and Health for Older People and Regional Focal Person for the WHO Healthy Cities Program, visited the Al Dafna area of Doha Municipality and the Education City of Al Rayyan Municipality, the two sites under evaluation, with members of the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean delegation.

The team also met with a number of stakeholders from other industries, who were extremely pleased with the level of cooperation and contact.

The newly created health city logo for the State of Qatar, which is an octagonal emblem with a well-known Arab and Islamic pattern representing the eight municipalities in the State of Qatar, reflects these efforts at the national level.

WHO Healthy Cities is a global movement aimed at elevating health to the top of city governments' social, economic, and political agendas by promoting health, equity, and long-term development through innovation and multi-sectoral change.

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Cover Image Credit & Source: The Peninsula