MoPH participates in Health-Promoting Shopping Mall Project to promote healthy shopping environments across the Gulf

Riyadh: The Ministry of Public Health participated in the Health Promoting Shopping Mall Project, one of the joint Gulf initiatives overseen by the Ge...

Riyadh: The Ministry of Public Health participated in the Health-Promoting Shopping Mall Project, one of the joint Gulf initiatives overseen by the General Secretariat of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in coordination with the Gulf Health Council.

A team from the Ministry of Public Health, represented by the Health Promotion Department, took part in GCC evaluation teams that conducted field visits to a number of shopping malls across GCC countries. These visits were carried out in accordance with the project’s peer-review evaluation mechanism, which enhances transparency, promotes the exchange of expertise, and unifies standards among member states. Qatar also hosted evaluation teams from other GCC countries to evaluate participating local shopping malls, reaffirming the credibility and objectivity of the evaluation process and reflecting the spirit of Gulf cooperation.

Three shopping malls from Qatar participated in the project: Al Hazm Mall, Doha Festival City, and Mall of Qatar. All three underwent comprehensive evaluations based on the approved GCC criteria and achieved the “Diamond Level” classification, the highest level within the project categories. This distinction reflects their commitment to implementing best practices in health and safety and promoting healthy lifestyles within the shopping environment.

The General Secretariat of the Gulf Cooperation Council, represented by the Human and Environment Affairs Sector – Health Department, recently held a recognition ceremony in Riyadh to honor the Joint Committee for Healthy Cities and Health-Promoting Shopping Malls in appreciation of the efforts made in implementing the project.