IUHPE 2025 in Abu Dhabi brings over 2,000 global experts together to shape the future of public health.
Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi made history as the first Middle Eastern city to host the prestigious 25th IUHPE World Conference on Health Promotion, uniting over 2,000 global experts from 100+ countries. Over four days, delegates co-created a forward-looking health agenda rooted in equity, climate resilience, and systems change—positioning Abu Dhabi as a global leader in public health innovation.
Jointly organised by the Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre (ADPHC) and the International Union for Health Promotion and Education (IUHPE), and supported by the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, the conference focused on “Settings for Planetary Health and Well-being.” Key outputs included 15 policy recommendations, 10 strategic partnerships, and 385 expert-led sessions.
Key Policy Outcomes:
- People-First Digital Health: Emphasising inclusion, accessibility, and support for traditional care models, technology must empower—not replace—human healthcare.
- Climate-Resilient Urban Design: Green, reflective, and tech-powered surfaces, combined with solar energy and urban forestry, were endorsed to combat rising urban heat.
- Mental Health as a Right: Mental well-being must be mainstreamed across sectors. Youth co-creation, digital access, and systemic integration were highlighted.
- Emergency Preparedness: Integrated mobile health units, mental health response, and real-time surveillance were proposed to enhance global resilience.
- Systems Shift to Health Creation: A decisive move away from reactive care to proactive, environment-based health creation was championed.
HE Dr. Rashed Al Suwaidi, ADPHC Director General, stated: “IUHPE 2025 proved that cross-sectoral action is essential to achieving meaningful public health progress.”
Echoing this, HE Dr. Omniyat Al Hajeri added: “Health must be designed into the systems and spaces we inhabit. We are no longer reacting—we are reimagining.”
The conference also yielded eight new strategic MoUs with major health players including Roche, Novartis, MSD, AstraZeneca, and others, focusing on non-communicable disease prevention, early screenings, and women’s health.
IUHPE President Mr. Sione Tu’itahi remarked: “Abu Dhabi has set a new global standard in collaborative health promotion.”
As the event concludes, Abu Dhabi emerges as a global beacon for health equity, innovation, and planetary well-being—redefining how health is created, not just treated.
