At a moment when the world confronts complex health and development challenges, shrinking fiscal space and concurrent humanitarian crises, decisive leadership often emerges from places willing to think differently, collaborate boldly and act with conviction.
This week in Abu Dhabi, as global partners came together during Abu Dhabi Finance Week for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative – or GPEI – pledge and for the first-ever Goalkeepers event to be held in the Middle East, the UAE demonstrated once again what purposeful convening can achieve. These gatherings were far more than events; they were signals that conversations shaping humanity’s shared future cannot be confined to one hemisphere, one region or one worldview.
Abu Dhabi has steadily built a reputation as a place where ambitious ideas meet practical action. The GPEI pledge of $1.2 billion reaffirmed that the UAE is not just a supporter of global health, but a strategic partner that mobilises others towards collective progress. By welcoming philanthropies, governments, innovators and multilateral partners, the UAE created a platform where consensus and commitment could accelerate the final stages of polio eradication.
The capital’s role as a convener stems from a unique blend of vision, openness and leadership.
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