Under the patronage of H.E Sheikh Salem bin Abdulrahman Al Qasimi, chairman of Sharjah ruler’s office, The High Follow-Up Committee for Sharjah’s Membership in the Age-Friendly Cities Global Network has held a meeting with coordinators from Sharjah government entities to follow up Sharjah’s efforts as the first Arab city to join the network and present the committee’s strategic plan 2017-2020, which is to be implemented with the participation of all government entities in the Emirate.

Present at the meeting were Sheikh Mohammed bin Humaid Al Qasimi, Head of Statistics and Community Development Department, Ahmad Al Meil, the committee’s rapporteur, and Asma Al Khodari, director of the committee’s executive office, as well as coordinators and officials from Sharjah government institutions and departments.

The workshop aimed to build up the capabilities of the coordinates and provide all the support to identify the membership requirements based on the recommendation and support of his Excellency Sh. Salim bin Abdulrahman Al Qasimi.

The meeting outlined four main objectives of the committee’s four-year strategic plan. These include improving services offered to older members of the society across various sectors and ensuring their sustainability; preparing the community for a demographic shift in favour of the elderly as a result of rapid aging of the population, expansion of cities and advanced care; achieving administrative excellence at the level of the committee’s work to ensure implementation of initiatives aimed at preparing the Emirate for joining the Age-Friendly Cities Global Network; and enabling the elderly to integrate into society and share their experiences by strengthening the legislative environment that supports and protects their rights.