The UAE capital has again put itself front and centre of the international healthcare revolution with a successful second Abu Dhabi Global Health Week.
Across three days, sector leaders from around the world travelled to Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre for a dynamic event that hosted crucial conversations and initiated collaborations to deliver equitable healthcare excellence, held under the patronage of Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
Last week’s gathering built on the “surpassed expectations” success of 2024’s inaugural event and further underlined the city’s importance on the world stage as a leading voice in the mission to advance health and wellbeing.
Under the theme, Towards Longevity, Redefining Health and Wellbeing, ADGHW brought together ministers, health leaders, policymakers, innovators, and investors from many nations. The event resulted in the signing of the ‘Declaration on Longevity and Precision Medicine’ marking a historic milestone in the quest to transform healthcare delivery and research worldwide.
The declaration outlined bold commitments to advance longevity science, artificial intelligence, driven diagnostics, and personalised therapeutics. It set forth six key pillars to advance research, innovation, collaboration and knowledge-sharing alongside investment in education and workforce development. By advocating for supportive policy and regulation, upholding ethics and responsible practices and engaging the public, longevity research is expected to have significant implications for health and society.
In addition, as part of Abu Dhabi’s recently launched Health, Endurance, Longevity, and Medicine (Helm) cluster - a pioneering hub for biotechnology, MedTech and digital health innovation - DoH and the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (Adio) signed a memorandum of understand with Masdar City at ADGHW for the establishment of health and life sciences laboratories to foster a thriving ecosystem for researchers and entrepreneurs.
Building on the 2024 dialogue programme, the latest health week saw critical conversations on health system sustainability, longevity science, and the power of AI and biomedical advances.
Innovation was again central to an agenda that ranged from live pitch sessions and the bold activations in the Startup Zone to the immersive experiences of the Gym of the Future.
The ADGHW Innovation Awards celebrated groundbreaking breakthroughs, as the energy of the exhibition stands and in the discussion halls, thought leadership sessions delivered insightful dialogue, transformative ideas, and proactive engagement.
Central to the potency of ADGHW as a crucible for progressive ideas, high-level panel sessions explored the intersection of AI and health system sustainability, while the live stage hosted forward-thinking discussions on the future of healthcare delivery and cross-sector collaboration.
Elsewhere, interactive showcases highlighted innovations in longevity, digital health, and life sciences, underlining the commitment of ADGHW to shape the future of global health.
The three-day event also saw the signing of several key deals.
These included a DoH Memorandum of Understanding with the Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council, which will advance healthcare resilience and sustainability in Abu Dhabi.
The collaboration aims to establish integrated healthcare frameworks between the two bodies, ensuring the delivery of high-quality care amid crises such as Covid, while strengthening emergency response mechanisms.
The partnership will also facilitate knowledge exchange, stakeholder coordination, and innovation in critical healthcare decision-making, further solidifying Abu Dhabi’s role as a global leader in sustainable healthcare solutions.
The DOH also announced a dual MoU with global biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences, signed on the sidelines of ADGHW.
As part of the agreement, both parties aim to broaden collaboration in clinical research, advanced therapies and healthcare accessibility, while also enhancing treatment options and driving cutting-edge medical innovation in the emirate.
DoH signed a further five “pioneering” MoUs with leading Russian health and technology institutions, the culmination of an earlier strategic DoH delegation visit to Russia, to further strengthen robust bilateral healthcare partnerships between nations.
DoH and ADIO also signed a MoU with Unilabs Pharma Solutions - a subsidiary of the international provider of diagnostic services, Unilabs - under which the parties aim to develop a state-of-the-art analytical laboratory as part of the Helm cluster.
And an MoU signed by DoH and Adio with global biopharmaceutical leader GSK, in the presence of Sir Jonathan Symonds, chairman of GSK and Badr Al-Olama, director general of Abu Dhabi Investment Office, will bring collaboration on a Multiomics Research Institute in Abu Dhabi. This aims to accelerate oncology-focused genomic science and precision medicine, enhancing diversification and global representation in genomic research to improve cancer patient outcomes.
This follows from GSK’s announcement last year to develop a regional vaccine distribution centre in Abu Dhabi. The centre was created to meet rising demand for GSK vaccines in the region, Near-East and South Asian countries.
Finally, the DoH, in partnership with PureHealth, Khalifa University of Technology, Illumina, M42, Institute for Healthier Living Abu Dhabi and New York University Abu Dhabi, signed a landmark agreement to establish a collaborative framework that will shape the future of healthcare through precision medicine and advanced therapies.
Overall, ADGHW brought together healthcare leaders, policymakers, stakeholders and disruptors from across the planet.
And the voices of those shaping global health in numerous territories were amplified through keynote speeches and live panel sessions that offered the chance to address major challenges and opportunities in creating a global, sustainable and resilient healthcare network.
A robust strategic conference agenda focused on four core themes.
These were designed to drive meaningful change through collaborative dialogue and interactions that could foster the formation of strategic partnerships to strengthen healthcare systems worldwide, ensuring lasting impact across communities and borders long after ADGHW closed.
The themes were Longevity and Precision Health: Personalising the Future of Medicine; Health System Resilience & Sustainability: Crafting Future-Ready Frameworks; Digital Health & AI: Revolutionising Care Through Technology; and Investment in Life Sciences: Driving Global Innovation Forward.
Ibrahim Al Jallaf, executive director of digital health at the Department of Health Abu Dhabi, described ADGHW as an opportunity to “spark partnerships … to spark conversations between experts and people practising in the field” that perhaps haven’t been able to have such conversations before.
With 15,000 attendees from 90 nations, and a programme hosting 200 visionary speakers, 1,900 conference delegates and 150 “pioneering” exhibitors, ADGHW again proved to be a prime date on the world healthcare calendar, further establishing Abu Dhabi as a global health and wellness hub.
“The UAE has always been very well positioned for connecting the globe,” said Mr Al Jallaf.
“Looking now at Abu Dhabi Global Health Week, we’re connecting leading experts, bringing success cases and innovations from their home countries, and having conversations here.”
He said he was even more excited by the 2025 edition of ADGHW as it welcomed an even larger presence of global leaders, which in turn “creates opportunities for even greater and more global ideas”.
“The real value here is we are able to have conversations between global experts that spark new ideas, that result in projects," Mr Al Jallaf said.
“What ideas will have come out of Abu Dhabi Global Health Week 2025, and what kind of impact are we going to see over the next year?”
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The distance learning plan
Spring break will be from March 8 - 19
Public school pupils will undergo distance learning from March 22 - April 2. School hours will be 8.30am to 1.30pm
Staff will be trained in distance learning programmes from March 15 - 19
Teaching hours will be 8am to 2pm during distance learning
Pupils will return to school for normal lessons from April 5
UAE'S%20YOUNG%20GUNS
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What it means to be a conservationist
Who is Enric Sala?
Enric Sala is an expert on marine conservation and is currently the National Geographic Society's Explorer-in-Residence. His love of the sea started with his childhood in Spain, inspired by the example of the legendary diver Jacques Cousteau. He has been a university professor of Oceanography in the US, as well as working at the Spanish National Council for Scientific Research and is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Biodiversity and the Bio-Economy. He has dedicated his life to protecting life in the oceans. Enric describes himself as a flexitarian who only eats meat occasionally.
What is biodiversity?
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, all life on earth – including in its forests and oceans – forms a “rich tapestry of interconnecting and interdependent forces”. Biodiversity on earth today is the product of four billion years of evolution and consists of many millions of distinct biological species. The term ‘biodiversity’ is relatively new, popularised since the 1980s and coinciding with an understanding of the growing threats to the natural world including habitat loss, pollution and climate change. The loss of biodiversity itself is dangerous because it contributes to clean, consistent water flows, food security, protection from floods and storms and a stable climate. The natural world can be an ally in combating global climate change but to do so it must be protected. Nations are working to achieve this, including setting targets to be reached by 2020 for the protection of the natural state of 17 per cent of the land and 10 per cent of the oceans. However, these are well short of what is needed, according to experts, with half the land needed to be in a natural state to help avert disaster.
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Company profile
Date started: January, 2014
Founders: Mike Dawson, Varuna Singh, and Benita Rowe
Based: Dubai
Sector: Education technology
Size: Five employees
Investment: $100,000 from the ExpoLive Innovation Grant programme in 2018 and an initial $30,000 pre-seed investment from the Turn8 Accelerator in 2014. Most of the projects are government funded.
Partners/incubators: Turn8 Accelerator; In5 Innovation Centre; Expo Live Innovation Impact Grant Programme; Dubai Future Accelerators; FHI 360; VSO and Consult and Coach for a Cause (C3)
UAE v United States, T20 International Series
Both matches at ICC Academy, Dubai. Admission is free.
1st match: Friday, 2pm
2nd match: Saturday, 2pm
UAE squad: Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Rameez Shahzad, Amjad Gul, CP Rizwan, Mohammed Boota, Abdul Shakoor, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Sultan Ahmed, Zahoor Khan, Amir Hayat
USA squad: Saurabh Netravalkar (captain), Jaskaran Malhotra, Elmore Hutchinson, Aaron Jones, Nosthush Kenjige, Ali Khan, Jannisar Khan, Xavier Marshall, Monank Patel, Timil Patel, Roy Silva, Jessy Singh, Steven Taylor, Hayden Walsh
EA Sports FC 25
Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Grubtech
Founders: Mohamed Al Fayed and Mohammed Hammedi
Launched: October 2019
Employees: 50
Financing stage: Seed round (raised $2 million)
RESULTS FOR STAGE 4
Stage 4 Dubai to Hatta, 197 km, Road race.
Overall leader Primoz Roglic SLO (Team Jumbo - Visma)
Stage winners: 1. Caleb Ewan AUS (Lotto - Soudal) 2. Matteo Moschetti ITA (Trek - Segafredo) 3. Primoz Roglic SLO (Team Jumbo - Visma)
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
