Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, with Mohamed Al Mazrouei, Undersecretary of the Crown Prince Court of Abu Dhabi (right), and Archbishop Francisco Montecillo Padilla, personal envoy of Pope Francis, after the signing of a collaborative declaration on global health, at the Sea Palace. Rashed Al Mansoori / Ministry of Presidential Affairs
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed looks on as Mohamed Al Mazrouei, Undersecretary of the Crown Prince Court of Abu Dhabi, and Archbishop Francisco Montecillo Padilla, personal envoy of Pope Francis, sign the declaration. Rashed Al Mansoori / Ministry of Presidential Affairs
Mohamed Al Mazrouei and Archbishop Francisco Montecillo Padilla shake hands after signing the declaration on global health, at the Sea Palace. Rashed Al Mansoori / Ministry of Presidential Affairs
Mohamed Al Mazrouei, Undersecretary of the Crown Prince Court of Abu Dhabi and Archbishop Francisco Montecillo Padilla, personal envoy of Pope Francis, shake hands after signing a collaborative declaration on global health, at the Sea Palace. Rashed Al Mansoori / Ministry of Presidential Affairs
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed speaks after witnessing a signing of the collaborative declaration on global health, at the Sea Palace. Rashed Al Mansoori / Ministry of Presidential Affairs
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed speaks after witnessing a signing of a collaborative declaration on global health, at the Sea Palace. Also seen are Mohamed Al Mazrouei, Undersecretary of the Crown Prince Court of Abu Dhabi, and Archbishop Francisco Montecillo Padilla, personal envoy of Pope Francis. Mohamed Al Hammadi / Ministry of Presidential Affairs
Guests attend the signing of a collaborative declaration on global health, at the Sea Palace. Mohamed Al Hammadi / Ministry of Presidential Affairs
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and Pope Francis signed an agreement to combat global diseases while improving the health of communities in need.
The Joint Declaration on Global Health aims to identify joint initiatives that will galvanise the global community and boost health programmes for the world’s most vulnerable communities, the state news agency Wam reported.
It was signed at the Sea Palace on Monday, ahead of the Reaching the Last Mile Forum, a gathering of global health leaders in Abu Dhabi.
"Disease is one of the most formidable barriers to prosperity," Sheikh Mohamed said after the signing.
"Access to health care and the prevention and treatment of disease is a pathway to lifting people out of poverty and can have significant effects on global development.
“We look forward to working with Pope Francis to enable impoverished communities the opportunity to live a healthy, dignified life."
The declaration mentioned neglected tropical diseases, which affect more than 1.5 billion people around the world.
It highlighted the role of the Reaching the Last Mile Fund, which was set up by Sheikh Mohamed in 2017 to combat two of those diseases, river blindness and lymphatic filariasis.
Despite these programmes and improved access to treatments, neglected tropical diseases are still a secondary priority on the global agenda.
These diseases can now be monitored, prevented and eliminated, and the declaration urged the global community to collaborate to reach the most vulnerable populations.
The signing came nine months after the Pope Francis’s historic visit to Abu Dhabi, the first by a leader of the Roman Catholic Church to the Arabian Peninsula.
This week the global Interfaith Summit was held at the Vatican, under the patronage of Sheikh Mohamed and in the presence of Pope Francis and Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior.
At the signing, Pope Francis was represented by Archbishop Francisco Montecillo Padilla, Apostolic Nuncio to the UAE, and Sheikh Mohamed was represented by Mohamed Al Mazrouei, Undersecretary of the Crown Prince Court of Abu Dhabi.
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Profile of Bitex UAE
Date of launch: November 2018
Founder: Monark Modi
Based: Business Bay, Dubai
Sector: Financial services
Size: Eight employees
Investors: Self-funded to date with $1m of personal savings
Key products and UAE prices
iPhone XS
With a 5.8-inch screen, it will be an advance version of the iPhone X. It will be dual sim and comes with better battery life, a faster processor and better camera. A new gold colour will be available. Price: Dh4,229
iPhone XS Max
It is expected to be a grander version of the iPhone X with a 6.5-inch screen; an inch bigger than the screen of the iPhone 8 Plus. Price: Dh4,649
iPhone XR
A low-cost version of the iPhone X with a 6.1-inch screen, it is expected to attract mass attention. According to industry experts, it is likely to have aluminium edges instead of stainless steel. Price: Dh3,179
Apple Watch Series 4
More comprehensive health device with edge-to-edge displays that are more than 30 per cent bigger than displays on current models.
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On Standby: Theophilus Afelokhai, Bryan Idowu, Ikouwem Utin, Mikel Agu, Junior Ajayi, Valentine Ozornwafor
