Reaching the Last Mile Forum to take place at Cop28

The Reaching the Last Mile Forum will take place on December 3 at Expo City Dubai, as part of Cop28.

The forum, which will be part of the global summit's first-ever dedicated health day, will assess the progress being made in the fight against polio, malaria and other neglected tropical diseases.

It will bring together global and community leaders, donors, NGOs and other stakeholders to create new momentum, innovation, and investment towards solving the climate-health challenges faced by last-mile communities.

The forum will present evidence on the effects of climate change on human health and infectious diseases.

The Covid-19 pandemic exposed wide disparities and weaknesses in global health systems, while climate-related natural disasters are disrupting the delivery of essential health services in vulnerable communities.

The forum will look at building health systems and focus on how to transform health systems and strengthen community workforces.

This year's event will also serve as the leading global convening on last-mile disease elimination for diseases such as polio, malaria, and NTDs. It will offer a platform to take stock of progress and seek new commitments and partnerships in support of elimination goals.

Financing the last mile is becoming increasingly difficult, with global crises, natural disasters and domestic politics continuing to consume the attention of governments.

The forum will explore obtaining new sources of funding from philanthropy, private-sector partnerships, and innovative financing.

Eradicating diseases

The UAE, in particular, has been at the forefront of eradicating tropical diseases.

Since 2010, the UAE has donated more than a quarter of a billion dollars in the fight against preventable tropical diseases such as Guinea worm.

President Sheikh Mohamed, in 2017 with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, launched the Reaching the Last Mile initiative – a 10-year, $100 million fund to eliminate river blindness and lymphatic filariasis in African countries.

In October, Sheikh Mohamed said the is an end in sight to polio.

In 1988, poliovirus affected 125 countries, but advancements in delivering healthcare to those in rural, often isolated communities and villages have led to a 99.9 per cent reduction in polio cases globally and it is currently endemic in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

President Sheikh Mohamed pledges to work with global partners to eradicate malaria

UAE signs Kigali Declaration to eliminate neglected tropical diseases

In January, the UAE delivered a $5 million boost to an international campaign aimed at addressing the effects of climate change on efforts to eradicate malaria.

The Reaching the Last Mile initiative will provide investment over the next three years.

In June, Sheikh Mohamed and Mr Gates spoke about the potential to enhance collaboration and initiatives to combat global epidemic diseases such as polio.

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Three-day coronation

Royal purification

The entire coronation ceremony extends over three days from May 4-6, but Saturday is the one to watch. At the time of 10:09am the royal purification ceremony begins. Wearing a white robe, the king will enter a pavilion at the Grand Palace, where he will be doused in sacred water from five rivers and four ponds in Thailand. In the distant past water was collected from specific rivers in India, reflecting the influential blend of Hindu and Buddhist cosmology on the coronation. Hindu Brahmins and the country's most senior Buddhist monks will be present. Coronation practices can be traced back thousands of years to ancient India.

The crown

Not long after royal purification rites, the king proceeds to the Baisal Daksin Throne Hall where he receives sacred water from eight directions. Symbolically that means he has received legitimacy from all directions of the kingdom. He ascends the Bhadrapitha Throne, where in regal robes he sits under a Nine-Tiered Umbrella of State. Brahmins will hand the monarch the royal regalia, including a wooden sceptre inlaid with gold, a precious stone-encrusted sword believed to have been found in a lake in northern Cambodia, slippers, and a whisk made from yak's hair.

The Great Crown of Victory is the centrepiece. Tiered, gold and weighing 7.3 kilograms, it has a diamond from India at the top. Vajiralongkorn will personally place the crown on his own head and then issues his first royal command.

The audience

On Saturday afternoon, the newly-crowned king is set to grant a "grand audience" to members of the royal family, the privy council, the cabinet and senior officials. Two hours later the king will visit the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the most sacred space in Thailand, which on normal days is thronged with tourists. He then symbolically moves into the Royal Residence.

The procession

The main element of Sunday's ceremonies, streets across Bangkok's historic heart have been blocked off in preparation for this moment. The king will sit on a royal palanquin carried by soldiers dressed in colourful traditional garb. A 21-gun salute will start the procession. Some 200,000 people are expected to line the seven-kilometre route around the city.

Meet the people

On the last day of the ceremony Rama X will appear on the balcony of Suddhaisavarya Prasad Hall in the Grand Palace at 4:30pm "to receive the good wishes of the people". An hour later, diplomats will be given an audience at the Grand Palace. This is the only time during the ceremony that representatives of foreign governments will greet the king.