Business & Money | Tuesday 31 January, 2017 1:38 pm |

Through their meeting which was held in London lately, the Anti-Smoking International Alliance board members issued a resolution confirming Dubai as the official headquarters for the Alliance. This office will cover all anti-smoking activities and initiatives held in the country and within its members in the Arab World, Asia, Africa and Latin America.  The meeting was presided by Dr. Abdul Salam Al Madani, Chairman of the Anti-Smoking International Alliance in the presence of the Secretary-General and all members. It was decided to divide the alliance’s activities among three regions, where the office in London will cover all the activities in Europe, the Arizona office will cover the activities of the United States and the Dubai office will cover the rest of the world. 

Members voted unanimously for Dubai to be the official headquarters for the alliance, based on its geographical and strategic location being a hub and a meeting point that connects the entire world together through a number of national airlines such as ‘Emirates’. Dubai also is well known for its outstanding infrastructure, amazing airports, ports and transportation services in addition to the best investment and commercial facilities and most importantly, the safety and security that United Arab Emirates provides.

Dr. Abdul Salam Al Madani said: “we are blessed to be living in one of the most prominent cities in the world that is well-known for its safety and security. Dubai also is one of the most promoted international destinations for tourism, shopping and entertainment, with a number of luxurious hotels, iconic malls and the best available customer services. In addition, UAE is one of the countries that combats smoking, since the government has issued very strict directives to ban smoking in public areas, malls, governmental entities, Ministries and Hospitals. All of these factors have marked Dubai as a prime location for the International Smoking Alliance to make the city its regional headquarters for supporting individuals and associations. Dubai also has the best international healthcare services and houses more than 200 nationalities who live in harmony together.”

Dr. Al Madani also said: “I am very proud of being the first personality to be elected from outside Europe and the first Arab to hold this position. Since I was elected, I have strived to introduce changes in the alliance and adopt a number of activities that help in banning smoking, and the first resolution that I introduced when I was elected is making Arabic language as the second official language after English. We have also accepted more members on board who were diligent and excited to work with us from different countries.”

Dr. Abdul Salam Al Madani also discussed during the meeting all the developments and achievements achieved by the alliance, in addition to discussing the preparations for organizing the Global Conference of Anti-Smoking International Alliance which will be hosted in Kuwait from the 1st and until the 2nd of February 2017. The Kuwait event also contains a scientific conference, a specialized exhibition, cultural and social activities which will be held in collaboration with scientific, artistic, and public societies in addition to schools and universities. 

The members also decided to publish a quarterly journal dedicated to the risks of smoking. The journal will open a door for all specialists and activists from this domain to publish their research papers and presentations and educate students.  

Dr. Abdul Salam Al Madani also confirmed that the Anti-smoking International Alliance committee have already decided on the personality which will receive the “Tom Hurst International Award” 2016 – 2017, an award which is conferred to health associations, private sectors, municipalities, governments, markets, airports, universities and schools in addition to individuals who contribute to curtail this habit from spreading.

At the end of the meeting, the Chairman and the Secretary General of the Alliance met with H.E. Colonel Expert Dr. Ibrahim Al Dabal, General Coordinator of the Kahlifa Empowerment Program for Students – Aqdar to discuss bilateral relations between both parties. 

H.E. Colonel Expert Dr. Ibrahim Al Dabal spoke with the Chairman of the Anti-Smoking International Alliance and discussed possible future cooperation, particularly in regards to implementing the National Charter for Students’ Awareness prepared by the Khalifa Student Empowerment Program, which includes four main themes: personal skills, crime prevention, health & safety, and national awareness. Those themes also cover increasing awareness of the dangers of smoking, which has been implemented through several ways, including video games, lectures, and other appropriate means that suit the students. Through this charter, the Khalifa Student Empowerment Program seeks to provide advice and guidance to students and their families against this bad habit.

Aqdar, from the United Arab Emirates is a very high profile program that focuses on empowering students and help them maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Aqdar Program is also keen on combating smoking and drug addiction and has been working diligently to spread awareness among students, families and the community in general to help them eliminate this dangerous habit.