Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Environment, World Health Organisation (WHO) and Environmental Protection Agency have jointly launched the BreatheLife Campaign in Maldives.
Breathe-life is intended to be a sustained campaign to effectively resolve the issue of air pollution in Maldives, and transform the country’s immediate atmosphere into one that is breathable and will not negatively impact citizens’ health. Through the programme, Maldives will implement measures that will monitor, research and implement strategies to address air pollution on a national scale.
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 emphasised 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 WHO South-East Asia Program Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh.