NEW YORK: The United Nations has declared November 24 as World Conjoined Twins Day after a request from Saudi Arabia, reported the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) on Tuesday.
From this year the day will be observed annually. The initiative was proposed by Saudi Arabia in collaboration with Bahrain, Qatar, Morocco and Yemen.
The day aims to raise awareness about conjoined twins and celebrate achievements in the field of conjoined-twin separation operations.
The permanent representative of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations, Abdulaziz Al-Wasil, in a speech at the UN General Assembly presented the draft resolution for adoption.
He said the resolution aimed to enhance awareness about conjoined twins at different stages of their lives. He also highlighted Saudi Arabia’s leading role in carrying out conjoined-twin separation surgery.
Saudi Arabia’s Conjoined Twins Program has provided treatment to 139 sets of conjoined twins from different nations around the world since its launch in 1990. Operations performed under the program are fully sponsored by the government of Saudi Arabia.
Al-Wasil stressed the need to foster global and regional cooperation to ensure the well-being of conjoined twins and access to the highest quality of healthcare.
He thanked the representatives of UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) for their support throughout the resolution’s drafting and negotiation process.
