PRESIDENT SHEIKH MOHAMED, THE COMMITTED CAMPAIGNER AGAINST TROPICAL DISEASES
▶ Leader follows in the footsteps of Sheikh Zayed with generous support for efforts to eliminate illnesses in Africa
One of the humanitarian causes that President Sheikh Mohamed has long been committed to is the eradication of tropical diseases.
As part of the fight against ailments such as Guinea worm – a parasitic infection that mostly affects poor communities in Africa – Sheikh Mohamed has provided advocacy and generous financial assistance.
The new President’s efforts follow those of his father – UAE Founder, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan – who decades ago began supporting the Carter Centre, set up by former US president Jimmy Carter to fight tropical illnesses.
Early last year, Sheikh Mohamed pledged to give the centre $10 million to mark the 30th anniversary of its partnership with the Emirates.
“In the UAE, we have seen first-hand the vital link between health and prosperity, and we remain steadfast in our vision of a world where every person deserves to live a healthy, dignified life,” Sheikh Mohamed said at the time.
Since 2010, the UAE has donated more than $250m to support the fight against preventable tropical diseases such as Guinea worm.
Significant progress has already been made to end that disease, with the annual tally of cases falling from 3.5 million in 1986 to 14 last year.
Thanks to the Carter Centre and its partners, supported by Sheikh Mohamed, the hope is that Guinea worm disease will be eliminated entirely.
But even if that happens, the work is set to continue, because neglected tropical diseases are thought to still cause as many as 170,000 preventable deaths annually.
As well as killing people, these diseases keep some of the world’s most vulnerable communities poor by stopping adults from working and children from attending school.
One of Sheikh Mohamed’s biggest contributions to combating tropical diseases was his setting up, in 2017, of the Reaching the Last Mile Fund.
This is a decade-long $100m initiative that aims to eliminate river blindness and lymphatic filariasis in a number of African countries.
Among the supporters of the fund is the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
In December, Mr Gates, the Microsoft founder and the foundation’s co-chairman, visited the Emirates and was received by Sheikh Mohamed, and the two men discussed the fight against diseases.
After the meeting, Sheikh Mohamed praised an announcement by Niger that it had eradicated river blindness as “a milestone in the fight against neglected tropical diseases”.
Through initiatives such as the Reaching the Last Mile Fund, we remain committed to supporting these global efforts SHEIKH MOHAMED
UAE President
“Through initiatives such as the Reaching the Last Mile Fund, we remain committed to working with our partners to support these crucial global efforts,” Sheikh Mohamed said.
The President has also made a long-term commitment to combating malaria, pledging millions of dollars to help tackle the dangerous, mosquito-borne disease.
On World Malaria Day, which was marked on April 25 and recognises global efforts to control the disease, Sheikh Mohamed said it was important to use innovation to fight against preventable illness.
“We remain committed in the fight to end malaria through global partnerships and will continue to work to lead on innovative and equity-driven programmes to save millions more lives,” he said.