SHARJAH, 28th August, 2026 (WAM) — The Executive Committee of the “Sharjah Healthy Emirate” Programme held its second meeting of 2026, chaired by Dr Abdulaziz Al Muhairi, Chairman of the Sharjah Health Authority and Executive Committee of the Programme. The meeting was attended by representatives of relevant government and private entities responsible for implementing World Health Organisation standards across the Emirate.
The meeting reviewed the latest developments in the expansion phase of the Global Healthy Cities Programme for 2026–2028 and followed up on requirements and steps related to the new phase across the various cities and regions of Sharjah.
The meeting followed up on the committee’s first meeting, which addressed the expansion plan and its objectives for 2026–2028. It discussed work progress, the level of implementation of requirements, and coordination mechanisms among participating entities to ensure integrated roles and continued work towards the objectives of the “Sharjah Healthy Emirate” Programme.
The committee announced preparations to launch the “Evidence Submission Platform”, which will serve as a unified tool for uploading and documenting evidence and data related to the standards of the “Sharjah Healthy Emirate” Programme. It will also track compliance, measure performance indicators, monitor progress, assess the performance of participating entities and completion rates, and identify areas for improvement, leading to the fulfilment of requirements in line with approved standards.
Dr. Abdulaziz Al Muhairi said the current phase marks a transition from setting frameworks and objectives to monitoring the implementation of programme requirements through joint efforts among participating entities and sectors. This will help translate the objectives of the “Sharjah Healthy Emirate” Programme into practices and measurable, documented outcomes across the Emirate’s cities and regions.
The Chairman of the Sharjah Health Authority and Executive Committee of the Programme highlighted the importance of building on achievements made during the previous period and continuing coordination and knowledge exchange among relevant entities. This will support compliance with World Health Organisation standards and reflect the integration of various sectors in promoting community health and quality of life.
Al Muhairi added that expanding the programme builds on Sharjah’s efforts to strengthen the integration of health into different aspects of life by unifying efforts and developing work mechanisms that ensure sustainable results and broaden their community impact, ultimately creating an environment that supports the health and wellbeing of community members.
The committee was briefed on the key media content standards, which align with international standards and practices and reflect Sharjah’s vision, while taking into account the nature, clarity and accuracy of messages directed at different segments of society and their consistency with the programme’s objectives.
The standards also highlighted the importance of media content reflecting the Emirate’s efforts and initiatives in health and quality of life, while taking into account the rapidly changing digital platforms and their requirements, media regulations in the UAE, and approved media practices in Sharjah. These efforts aim to effectively communicate the programme’s messages and raise awareness of the concept of healthy cities.
The committee reviewed the programme’s progress under the expansion plan, the level of compliance with standards, mechanisms for collecting evidence and data and measuring performance indicators, as well as a number of topics and proposals related to implementation and coordination among participating entities.
The committee identified several steps for the next phase, including approving the strategic plan, its objectives and implementation mechanism; completing the collection of evidence and data; organising a training workshop in cooperation with the World Health Organisation; conducting an internal assessment of the evidence and preparing reports, in preparation for the World Health Organisation’s assessment visit to review the level of compliance with programme requirements.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the committee stressed the importance of integrating the roles of participating entities and continuing work along the defined pathways to ensure that cities and regions across the Emirate are ready to meet the programme’s requirements and achieve the objectives of the “Sharjah Healthy Emirate” Programme in the next phase.
Source: Emirates News Agency