GENEVA, 22nd May, 2026 (WAM) — The Global Institute for Disease Elimination (GLIDE), based in Abu Dhabi, concluded its participation in the 79th World Health Assembly (WHA79) in Geneva.
Through organising and participating in a number of strategic sessions, the institute sought to contribute to international efforts aimed at accelerating the elimination of preventable infectious diseases, bridging the gap between global strategies and field implementation.
GLIDE partnered with “Devex” in launching a session aimed at addressing a number of challenges facing the public health sector. Titled “Rethinking Disease Elimination: Integration and Innovation for Sustainable Impact,” the panel focused on the importance of integrating disease control programmes into primary healthcare systems to avoid working in isolated silos and ensure the sustainability of results.
The panel featured Dr. Farida Al Hosani, CEO of GLIDE; Dr. Nada Al Marzouqi, Director of the Public Health and Prevention Department at the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP); Tala Al-Ramahi, Spokesperson, Mohamed Bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity; Dr. Alain Labrique, Director of Data, Digital Health, Analytics, and AI at World Health Organisation; and Peter Ward, Cofounder, Enaiblers.
Speakers shared insightful viewpoints, where the conversation moved beyond high-level theory to showcase how AI and data-driven tools are solving complex demographic challenges, strengthening surveillance, and empowering the health workforce.
This was then followed by a Devex Impact House session, featuring Dr. Al Hosani, in conversation with Kate Warren, Executive Vice President and Executive Editor at Devex. The talk highlighted how AI, advanced data systems, and stronger primary health care can improve targeting, accelerate elimination efforts, and help countries turn global commitments into durable local impact.
The institute also held the third edition of its panel session, “Artificial Intelligence for Health and Disease Elimination: Cross-Sector Action for Impact,” which builds upon previous discussions initiated during Abu Dhabi Global Health Week 2025 and the UN General Assembly. This edition focused on ways to transition AI from theoretical frameworks to practical applications.
The session was designed to enhance cross-sector collaboration by reviewing smart solutions that integrate environmental and epidemiological data to ensure the sustainability of disease elimination efforts. The discussions, which included a group of technical experts, touched upon the importance of establishing ethical governance frameworks to ensure these technologies are adopted equitably and responsibly within health systems.
The session aimed to catalyse the partnerships and pathways needed to scale AI innovations from limited pilots into effective, expandable implementation across global health systems.
The institute organised the third meeting of the “International Working Group on the Economics of Disease Elimination and Integration”, which seeks to bridge economic analysis with the requirements of health policy formulation.
The meeting included a presentation on the “Thanzi Labwino” research programme regarding decision-making mechanisms in the face of resource scarcity. Participants discussed research methodologies focused on financial protection and the use of advanced analytics to prioritise investments, contributing to safeguarding targeted health gains against global economic fluctuations.
Dr. Al Hosani said, “Working toward disease elimination requires sustained commitment and close coordination across different sectors. The Geneva meetings provided us with an important opportunity to discuss how precise economic tools and digital solutions like AI can support health systems.
“We look forward to translating these discussions into practical collaboration that empowers local communities to tackle infectious diseases and ensures health services reach everyone.”
Source: Emirates News Agency