Ayigur Zaparova, wife of the President of Kyrgyzstan, attended the World Health Organization's Childhood Obesity Prevention Network Summit and the Spouse Summit of European Leaders in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, on the 11th.
Also attending the event were: Anna Hakobyan, wife of the Prime Minister of Armenia, Linda Rama, wife of the Prime Minister of Albania, Desislava Radva, "First Lady" of Bulgaria, István Veres, husband of the President of Hungary, Queen Letizia of Spain, Andra Levitte "First Lady" of Latvia, Lydia Abela, wife of the Prime Minister of Malta, Elizabeth Gojevskaya, "First Lady" of North Macedonia, Tamara Vučić, "First Lady" of Serbia, Husband of the President of Slovenia, Alex Musa.
The spouses of the presidents of Germany, Lithuania, Israel, Ireland and Turkey also spoke in video format at the summit about their country's prevention of childhood obesity.
In her speech, Zaparova stressed the importance of the event and that WHO's goal of establishing a network for childhood obesity prevention in the European Region was welcomed and supported.
She said that according to WHO research, childhood obesity is a serious problem in the world, including Kyrgyzstan. Kyrgyzstan is taking preventive measures to prevent childhood obesity, such as breastfeeding for at least six months, educating the population about healthy lifestyles and nutrition, and implementing a national plan to provide better nutritious meals for all grades in primary and secondary schools.
Zaparova noted that improper diet, excessive use of electronics and sedentary lifestyle have led to the rapid and widespread spread of obesity among children. The same situation has occurred in many countries, and it is therefore incumbent upon us all to work together in that direction. Obese children may develop a variety of health conditions that affect their normal lives. This is a big problem not only for children, but also for families and countries. A healthy child means a healthy individual, a happy family and a strong country. She said that as a platform to exchange best practices in preventing childhood obesity, the summit will undoubtedly produce positive results.
The "First Lady" referred to the Kyrgyz proverb «Манжа башка – билек бир, жүрөк башка – тилек бир (you can't do anything without effort, you can't achieve your goals without struggle)», noting that the participants of the summit come from different countries, but they are concerned with a common and very important issue - children's health.
"Kyrgyzstan supports the Zagreb Declaration on the establishment of a network for childhood obesity prevention by the World Health Organization in the European region," she concluded. As a mother and grandmother, I support all initiatives and activities aimed at improving children's health. ”
Source: Kabal National News Agency | Compiler: Yang Haibo