Arab League (AL) Secretary-General Ahmed Abul Gheit called for drumming up Arab efforts to promote health and environmental development in the Arab region.

Such efforts, he said, would also lead to reducing the hazardous impacts of environmental changes on health and on increasing death rates.

Abul Gheit's remarks came at the inauguration of the joint meeting of the Arab ministers of health and environment, which kicked off Thursday at the AL headquarters in Cairo.

The meeting was attended by the Arab health and environment ministers in addition to the UN representatives concerned.

The AL chief asserted the importance of good preparation for a relevant Arab joint strategy (2017-2030) in a way that would help it contribute to improving the Arabs' health and providing them with a safe environment to live in.

In the same respect, he affirmed the need for promoting the capabilities of health and environment sectors in Arab states, noting that the AL is committed to backing related development efforts.

Improving the health of Arabs is of high priority, Abul Gheit said, adding that the 2015 Arab Summit has called on the Arab health ministers to pool efforts that aim at combating non-communicable diseases.

Source: MENA