Economic goals discussed

Manama : The role of sport in achieving economic goals for a sustainable development were discussed at the First Arab Conference on Sport with the slogan “The Role of Sport in Achieving Sustainable Development Goals”.

The conference was organised by the Ministry of Youth and Sports Affairs in cooperation with the United Nations Office in Bahrain and the International Council for Health, Physical Education, Sports and Recreation (ICHPER.SD).

Dr. Hashim S. Hussein is Head of United Nations Industrial Development Organization - Investment and Technology Promotion Office (UNIDO-ITPO), talked about the cluster of health and wellness “Green Lifestlye” in Bahrain, in the second session of the conference.

Dr Hussein said the programme aims to promote health concepts and the healthy behaviours and lifestyles practices to prevent common diseases.

He also noted other objectives of the programme, such a goals to increase awareness of local communities on how to live a balanced and healthier life, and access to services and products; generate new business opportunities, and develop wellness and health clusters; and sensitize entrepreneurs on the theme of wellness; and the need to improve the conditions of workers and their families, and sustainability perspective.

Dr Hussein pointed out that it’s the first programme of its kind in the world to encourage new investments in the health and wellness field, which provides scientific support and practical training as well as procedural facilities for Bahrainis wishing to establish projects that concern health.

Meanwhile, the conference came to a close yesterday at Art Rotana Amwaj Hotel in Muharraq. The concluding day of the conference focused on two themes, the first of which was the role of sport in executing the environmental goals for sustainable development.

This theme was presented by Dr Bander Al Saad of Saudi Arabia and Regional Development Coordinator for UNEP’s Regional Office for the West Asia region Melanie Hutchinson.

Al Saad’s working paper was the mainly about the sustainability of sports facilities and its relevance to the society needs. He talked about the developmental dimensions of the programme created in the kingdom, which focuses on developing health care Improving living and safety standards, ensuring the sustainability of vital resources, promoting community development and developing the non-profit sector, achieving excellence in government performance, enabling the community to enter labour market and increase its attractiveness, contribute to empowerment of the private sector and develop the tourism sector and national heritage.