The Global Institute for Disease Elimination (GLIDE) is the result of a long-standing partnership between His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, and Bill Gates, dating back to their pledge to fight diseases and put an end to polio in 2011. The concept for an Abu Dhabi-based institute to develop policies to combat infectious diseases materialised in 2017, with an announcement by His Highness at the Reaching the Last Mile Forum. Two years later, during the Reaching the Last Mile Forum in November 2019, GLIDE was formally launched.

As the first and only institute of its kind in the region, GLIDE helps build capability within the region and establishes a new epicentre of global health and development. With unique positioning and a panoramic view, GLIDE will help ensure the legacy of philanthropy in the UAE is continued and expanded upon, and help to achieve a world free from preventable infectious diseases of poverty.

The vision of GLIDE is a world free from infectious diseases of poverty.

GLIDE aims to accelerate progress towards disease elimination to alleviate human suffering. This is done by elevating awareness and engagement, advancing elimination strategies, and fostering and scaling innovation.

The mission of GLIDE is to advance global thinking and accelerate progress towards disease elimination by building on country ownership and local solutions, promoting an integrated approach, engaging catalytically, seeking out sustainable solutions, and working in partnership.

Disease elimination and eradication are the ultimate goals of public health and the culmination of the disease control process. Only two diseases have been declared eradicated by the World Health Organization to date: one human disease – smallpox, and one animal disease – rinderpest, which was a deadly disease that affected herds of cattle.

Infectious diseases play a debilitating role in millions of people’s lives, impacting children’s ability to go to school and their families’ ability to work, thereby limiting the growth of local and regional economies. Eliminating and eradicating these ancient diseases of poverty would have a truly life-changing impact on the lives of people in nearly 100 countries and boost global economic prospects. Simply put, disease elimination and eradication would rank among the greatest human achievements.