(MENAFN- The Peninsula) RAYNALD C RIVERA THE PENINSULA
The Italian Embassy organised on Thursday a webinar titled 'Well-being in the Workplace, which focused on sustainable design and its positive impact on occupational health and environment protection in light of the pandemic.
Hosted on the occasion of Italian Design Day, the webinar was organised in cooperation with Park Associati — an architectural practice based in Milan, the ILO Project Office in Qatar and the Arab Youth Climate Movement Qatar.
'I find it natural that we celebrate the Italian Design Day every year in Qatar. Qatar is a country where I feel there is a natural connection with creativity and innovation. In the dynamic and constantly transforming multicultural city of Doha, the leadership is always keen to promote a model of urban development which is sustainable and strives to improve the quality of life of citizens, a commitment Italy and Qatar share as a top priority in the agenda of our Governments, said Ambassador of Italy in Qatar, H E Alessandro Prunas in his opening remarks.
'I am also glad that this event falls this year within the Qatar Sustainability Week. It is part of our mission as an Embassy to reinforce the existing connections with the hosting country and find a link between our mutual initiatives to contribute to 'draw together — as designers do in their daily activities — a better future, the Ambassador said.
Eng Meshal Al Shamari, Director of the Qatar Green Building Council, underlined QGBC's core mission which is 'to help everyone work towards building a sustainable future.
'In this context, we are helping everyone and every institution to contribute to a sustainable environment, a healthy lifestyle, a wise and resource-oriented management and an enhancement of economic productivity. These axes are not in isolation but support each other in an integrated model. Human health, safety and happiness work as key components of a sustainable built environment, he said.
He stressed that 'any improvement in health, safety and productivity of a community member is an important outcome of green building outcomes.
Dr. Roberto Bertollini, Adviser to the Minister of Public Health of the State of Qatar, said that urban policies are very important in preventing illness and death and promoting good health.
'The way that the cities are organised is very important. If we want to encourage physical activity since we know it is an important determinant of health, we cannot only rely on the goodwill of the people to go to the gym. We need to create a city structure which promotes walking or cycling on a daily basis.
'This is happening also somehow here in Qatar because the recent development of the city, although we are in a very particular environment with very particular conditions, is actually going towards the direction of increasing bike lanes substantially which will facilitate the movement of bikes, and also there's the Metro which encourages public transportation and this is changing the way the city is perceived by the community, he said.
Bertollini noted that public health requires concerted efforts of various sectors in ensuring the well-being of the population and that the country's National Health Strategy includes among its strategic priorities health in all policies.
'Particularly, what we would like to do is make Doha a healthy city, meaning a city which promotes health to a variety of interventions, including beautification, improvement of nature, public spaces, bike lanes, among others. This is going to support the finalisation for Qatar's preparation for FIFA World Cup 2022 and will be certified by the World Health Organization through a very established mechanism, he said.
Houtan Homayounpour, Head of ILO project Office in Qatar, pointed out Qatar's commitment in upholding workers' health and safety demonstrated through a national policy on occupational safety and health.
'The national policy recognises this very important right to a safe and healthy work environment and focuses on the key principle of prevention and continuous improvement through the assessment of occupational risks arising from constantly changing world of work.
'The policy also emphasises the importance of the adaptation of work, taking into consideration physical, social and mental health and the well-being of workers. Both the right to a safe and healthy working environment and the adaptation of work capabilities and needs of workers are crucial aspects of our times which have been further exasperated by the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.
Moderated by Arch Raffaello Furlan, Assistant Professor of Architecture and Urban Design at Qatar University, the panel also included Arch Michele Rossi, co-founder of Park Associati and Reem Al Sehlwai, Director of Partnerships of the Arab Youth Climate Movement Qatar.
MENAFN07112020000063011010ID1101087212
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.