Minister of Health: 21 countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region have developed a national nutrition strategy or action plan
On February 4th, the work of the Executive Council of the World Health Organization(WHO)
Minister of Health Dr. Hassan Al-Ghobash, on behalf of the countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Region, said that 21 countries in the region have prepared since December of last year a national strategy or plan of action on nutrition .16 countries have a plan to prevent obesity and promote breastfeeding, 14 countries have a policy to reduce trans fatty acid consumption, including all Gulf Cooperation Council, (GCC) countries and all middle-income countries in the region except Djibouti and Libya.
Dr. Al-Ghobash indicated that 13 countries envisage a policy aimed at reducing the consumption of salt or sodium, and this includesGCC, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Palestine and Tunisia, and that 12 countries are setting a policy to reduce the impact of marketing unhealthy foods to children, and taxes have been implemented on sugar-sweetened drinks in 11 countries and territories, 19 countries have a flour fortification policy .All countries are iodizing salt, and 14 countries have prepared food-based dietary guidelines.
Dr. Al-Ghobash explained that during the year 2021, the Organization established a regional database of food components that is considered a data bank on food components that serves all countries of the region.
It is noteworthy that the World Health Assembly unanimously elected Syria in May 2021, during its seventy-fourth session, to membership in the Executive Council of the World Health Organization, representing the Eastern Mediterranean Region, for a period of three years.
O. al-Mohammad