His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, stressed on the need to coalesce community wide efforts to safeguard people’s health and wellbeing by promoting healthy habits, rally against bad lifestyle choices like smoking and introducing effective vaccinations. 

This statement was during his welcome address at the inauguration ceremony of the third Global NCD Alliance (NCDA) Forum, which began Sunday, at the Al Jawaher Reception and Convention Centre in Sharjah.

The three-day forum, organised by the Friends Of Cancer Patients (FOCP) in partnership with the global NCD Alliance (NCDA), has convened 400 guests and attendees from 80 countries across six continents, including key civil society stakeholders, health experts and academics and researchers to hold key discussions on strengthening the global response against non-communicable diseases (NCDs), at a time when NCDs are responsible for 41 million or 71 percent of all deaths worldwide.

The inauguration ceremony was held in the presence of the Sharjah Ruler, his wife, Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Founder and Royal Patron of FOCP, International Ambassador for the World Cancer Declaration of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), International Ambassador for Childhood Cancer for UICC, and Patron of the Global NCD Alliance Forum.

Jafar receives honour from Sheikha Jawaher Al Qasimi for her efforts 

During the event, Sawsan Jafar was honoured with “The Sheikha Jawaher Medal for Contribution and Excellence” by Sheikha Jawaher Al Qasimi. Sheikha Jawaher thanked Jafar for guiding FOCP’s efforts in cancer control and healthcare years, and for leading the non-profit’s collaborations with members of the global NCD civil society to raise awareness around NCDs, galvanise stakeholder action and support efforts to reverse the NCD epidemic.

Sheikha Jawaher Al Qasimi also welcomed all attendees of the forum to Sharjah, thanking them for their continued commitment to working together for the creation a more equitable and healthier future for everyone around the world.

Young stakeholders paving way for innovation-driven NCD response

In the lead up to the forum’s inaugural ceremony, two meetings titled ‘Elevating the youth NCD agenda to high-level stakeholders’ and ‘Civil Society Coordination Session: national, regional and global action’, were held. The first session talked about the unique and highly valuable perspectives young people bring to scaling up NCD response, while the latter stressed on the importance of a collective call for action to handle issues pertaining to NCDs.

His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Al Qasimi and Sheikha Jawaher Al Qasimi attended the opening plenary session titled ‘Bridging the gaps, seizing the moment for NCD prevention and control’. 

Please click here to read His Highness' statement on this occasion.