3 December 2023

The U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council hosted a panel discussion on the role of public-private partnerships in addressing the impact of climate change on public health on 3 December at the First Abu Dhabi Bank Pavilion in the Green Zone at COP28. This panel coincided with the first-ever health-themed day at COP.

Dr. Ali Muneer Al Rahman, Public Health Specialist at Dubai Health Authority (DHA), discussed the DHA’s shift in focus to public health and prevention, including addressing and mitigating the effects of climate change. DHA is also leveraging data, research, and strategic partnerships to make their healthcare system more sustainable while redoubling its focus on early intervention.

Dr. Al Rahman spoke of the spread of diseases due to climate change, citing the spread of dengue fever in Australia. The DHA is tracking the spread of diseases, as well as conducting studies on health effects and spread of diseases associated with heat stress, extreme hot weather, and sandstorms. Dr. Al Rahman cited a recent study completed by the DHA on air pollution and air quality, particularly related to PM 2.5 and PM 10 exposure, as an example of the Authority’s work in this field. He stressed the DHA’s desire to partner with both the public and private sectors on evidence-based best practices.

Dr. Nino Kharaishvili, Global Solutions Director of Health Governance at Jacobs, elaborated on the ways climate change is influencing the spread of diseases, citing the spread of malaria in the United States for the first time, dengue fever in Europe, and West Nile virus around the world. Jacobs is helping governments set up disease detection and prevention agencies as well as early warning systems that save lives. Dr. Kharaishvili also spoke of the need to help healthcare systems, including hospitals, research institutions, and service providers, define their net zero roadmaps. She added that healthcare systems are responsible for 6% of global greenhouse gas emissions and thereby paradoxically contributing to the climate crisis that has such negative public health repercussions.

Ayman Mokhtar, President for MENA and Eurasia at Viatris, stressed the interconnectedness between health and the environment and the importance of global public health, remarking there is either “health for all, or no health at all.” He commended the U.A.E.’s visionary leadership for seeking pre-emptive solutions for potential health crises, citing the country’s focus on creating strategic medical stockpiles well before the global COVID pandemic. He lauded the U.A.E. for taking action to bring public health into the COP agenda. He spoke of Viatris’s impact on one billion patients across the globe and focus on partnerships with governments to help them create sustainable plans and solutions in advance of public health crises.

Sossy Ingirkochian, Managing Director and Head of Global Subsidiaries at First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), spoke of the role of the finance sector in climate action, including its impact on health, noting that sustainability and responsible business are at the core of FAB’s work. She noted that FAB was the first bank in the GCC to be part of the Net Zero Banking Alliance and that it has committed to lend, invest, and facilitate business of $75 billion by 2030 to activities focused on environmentally and socially responsible solutions. She also cited the work FAB has done internally to prioritize the health and wellbeing of its employees. She pointed to the need for more commitment from the private sector, including from the banking sector, on sustainable finance, remarking  that “we can all do more,” including in the healthcare sector.

For more information about this event or the Business Council’s work in the healthcare sector, please contact Alyssa Kristeller at akristeller@usuaebusiness.org.