Vice President Faisal Naseem has attended the official launching ceremony of "breathe life Campaign" held this morning at Hotel Gen.
The Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Environment and Environmental protection agency have jointly launched the BreatheLife Campaign in collaboration with the World Health Organization, at a special event held this morning at Hotel Jen, with Vice President Faisal Naseem in attendance. Breathe-life is intended to be a sustained campaign to effectively resolve the issue of air pollution in the Maldives, and transform the country’s immediate atmosphere into one that is breathable and will not negatively impact citizens’ health. Through this program, the Maldives will implement measures that will monitor, research and implement strategies to address air pollution on a national scale.
Following the recitation of the Holy Quran, all dignitaries delivered remarks in which they expounded upon the serious health repercussions of air pollution. The message that clean air is essential to health was iterated and reiterated in the opening remarks by the Minister of Health, the keynote address by the Regional Director and the speech by the Minister of Environment. The salience of the issue was further emphasized in a special video that briefed those present on current air-pollution levels in the Maldives, highlighting that one in nine people worldwide has their lives shorted by air pollution, creating a high impetus for governments to undertake expeditious and systemic measures in response.
Dignitaries in attendance in addition to the Vice President included: Minister of Health Abdulla Ameen, the Minister of Environment Dr Hussain Rasheed, and the Regional Director of the World Health Organization’s South-East Asia Program Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh.
