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Abu Dhabi / WAM
President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan has conferred the Order of Unity on Bill Gates, Co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, for his substantial efforts in humanitarian work and initiatives across the world.
While presenting the order to Bill Gates, during the international health forum, “Reaching the Last Mile – Mobilising Together to Eliminate Infectious Disease†in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, commended Gates’ sustained efforts to support humanitarian, health and development works.
He also lauded his long-standing partnership with programmes and projects launched by the UAE to assist communities reeling from the brunt of poverty and illness and to fight and prevent diseases.
In turn, Bill Gates expressed his appreciation to the UAE for honouring him, affirming that the long-standing partnership with the UAE and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, in particular, has delivered significant success in the prevention of diseases that struck children and women in a number of poor countries. He emphasised his determination to stay committed to this humanitarian course.
‘UAE will continue its steps to create a disease-free world’
Abdulrahman bin Mohamed Al Owais, Minister of Health and Prevention and Minister of State for Federal National Council Affairs, asserted that the UAE will continue its multilateral initiatives to create a world free from disease.
He made this statement during the opening of the Global Health Forum which saw the participation of over 200 prominent figures, including government officials, leaders of relief organisations, international health experts and leaders of the international health sector, who exchanged their points of view and the best international practices to prepare effective plans to locate and eradicate major diseases.
The Forum also showcased the considerable efforts of workers in general health to combat diseases that threaten lives in affected countries while supporting international initiatives to fight infectious diseases, through building new partnerships between the public and private sectors.
Since 2011, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed has personally pledged $250 million to support international efforts to eliminate and control deadly diseases, including $205 million to support the global campaign to eliminate polio and the “Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance,” as well as $30 million to support the efforts to eradicate malaria and $15 million to eradicate guinea worm disease, she added.
Al Owais stated that the UAE’s exceptional location as a link between the East and West has strengthened its mission to offer humanitarian assistance to various parts of the world, as well as its ongoing multilateral initiatives to create a world free from disease while affirming the necessity of investing in such international efforts.
He added that the UAE’s role, in co-operation with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Carter Centre and the World Health Organisation, has the strategic goal of eliminating diseases that threaten humanity and saving people from their cycle of danger.
Al Owais pointed out that the eradication of smallpox and cholera was not expected in the 1970s. “We today can say that guinea worm disease and polio will face the same fate and will be completely eradicated,” he added.
He also explained that the rate of infection from these diseases has considerably decreased during the last 15 years, and the UAE is a major player in achieving this accomplishment.
Dr. Maha Barakat, Advisor to the Executive Office of the Abu Dhabi Government and Member of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership Board, confirmed, in her speech that the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan began the UAE’s journey of humanitarian giving over 30 years ago, when the country pledged to support the international efforts to eradicate such diseases, after a partnership was made with the Carter Centre to eliminate guinea worm disease.
“Today this journey continues under the directives of the country’s wise leadership, which offers all forms of support to strengthen the international efforts that aim to eradicate guinea worm disease, among other preventable diseases,” she added.
Dr. Barakat stressed that His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed believes that world leaders have the opportunity to eradicate preventable diseases, which will decrease the suffering of humanity.