His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and Dr. Ghebreyesus discussed ways to enhance cooperation between the UAE and WHO.
This came as Dr. Ghebreyesus praised the support of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed and his health and humanitarian initiatives, including the Emirates Polio Campaign, the "Reaching the Last Mile Fund" to end river blindness, and efforts to eradicate the guinea worm disease.
These initiatives helped boost WHO's programmes to combat and eliminate diseases, especially in the poorest communities.
"The UAE is a key supporter of WHO's programmes and initiatives to eliminate epidemics and communicable diseases," he added.
The WHO Director-General briefed His Highness Sheikh Mohamed on the organisation's efforts and its regional and international activities to eliminate communicable diseases.
He also updated him on the steps to combat the spread of COVID-19, in collaboration with the international community.
The UAE's national immunisation program, which inoculated scores of residents, was given a special mention since it helped the UAE promptly recover from the global pandemic and maintain a low fatality rate.