Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The Saudi Sports for All Federation (SFA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have signed a collaborative agreement that addresses several strategic areas.

The virtual signing meeting took place in June, and was led by SFA President Prince Khaled Bin Alwaleed, and WHO Director General, Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, with a number of online attendees from both organizations including SFA Managing Director Ms. Shaima Saleh Al-Husseini.

The collaboration outlines that the SFA will host the Riyadh edition of Walk the Talk as well as potentially organize a regional or global technical expert meeting on Sports for All.

WHO will also provide technical assistance on the federation’s strategy, aligning it with the global action plan of physical activity.

Further, WHO will share global best practice tools and help to advance physical activity global and national monitoring and reporting, including established measurement guidelines of physical activity.

The collaboration’s objective is mainly to ensure SFA’s inclusion in the forward trajectory of the adoption of physical activity as a mainstay worldwide, and to be included in the wider global movement while gleaning best practices from other nations, as well as to share the Saudi model of increasing participation.

The SFA view of the collaboration includes aims to host international sporting events at the community level, and to build strategic partnerships that enhance and propel its larger mission.

The SFA and WHO have cooperated across initiatives including the virtual Walk the Talk: Health for All Challenge that took place May 16-17 marking the opening of the 73rd World Health Assembly, and the New York City Walk the Talk in the fall of 2019 staged on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.