Doha, Qatar, 12 June, 2022: Qatar Foundation’s World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH), has announced that its 2022 Summit will be held on October 4-6 this year, under the theme of “Healing The Future”. Taking place in the immediate run up to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, WISH 2022 will include a major focus on exploring the potential health legacy of the tournament.
WISH 2022 will be the sixth biennial summit and the first hybrid edition of the Doha-based conference, which has quickly established itself as a major fixture in the global healthcare calendar. The event will convene global healthcare experts, policymakers, and innovators in Doha to work collaboratively towards building a healthier world. Additionally, many of the sessions will be opened up and made available for people around the world to join virtually.
Falling under four main areas of sports and health, disability and inclusivity, post-COVID-19 legacy, and wellbeing, discussions at the summit will revolve around critical issues such as building health system resilience, vaccine innovation and equity, and climate change and food security.
Specific session topics for WISH 2022 will be announced over the coming months and will focus on a range of medical, social, humanitarian, and policy-driven areas of local, regional, and global significance. As at previous WISH global gatherings, space at the conference will be devoted to showcasing novel health innovation projects and the work of WISH’s local and international partners who are at the vanguard of efforts to help bring about a healthier world.
Sultana Afdhal, CEO of WISH said: “The past two and a half years have shown us just how important it is to prioritize global health. Indeed, only through innovative approaches to the delivery of healthcare has the world been able to begin to heal. With this in mind, we are thrilled to be back and to be joined by our global community in person for the first time since 2018. We’re also looking forward to additionally welcoming online participants from around the world, following the success of WISH 2020, which was held fully virtually on account of the pandemic.
WISH 2022 will have a special focus on the positive impact that sport can play in our physical and mental wellbeing. And with the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ fast approaching, three of the reports commissioned by WISH ahead of our summit will be dedicated to looking at the efforts to use the tournament to deliver a legacy of positive health outcomes in the years to come.”
A WISH-commissioned evidence-based report on Migrant Workers’ Welfare will examine the widely-debated issues of access to healthcare services for migrant laborers in Qatar, discuss progress made in this area to date, outline innovative approaches to caring for this segment of the local population and provide policy recommendations on how this can be improved.
Addressing the positive benefits of hosting the tournament, Major Sporting Events and Healthy Lifestyles will examine how hosting mega sporting events can promote active, healthy lifestyles and behaviors in communities, and generate a lasting public health and health legacy for the host country.
Finally, Accessible by Design will review the activities undertaken by Qatar in the lead-up to the 2022 World Cup in terms of increasing accessibility for the local population and event attendees.
His Excellency Hassan Al Thawadi, Secretary General of Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, who will be participating as a speaker at the 2022 WISH Summit, said: “Through working with partners, locally and internationally, we have made significant strides in the sphere of Workers’ Welfare. We look forward to taking part at WISH 2022 as it provides a platform to share our experiences in this area and to highlight the public health benefits of hosting the tournament more generally. We are also keen to document our country’s World Cup journey, the successes and challenges that we have faced, and are therefore delighted to be working with WISH in order to achieve this.”
WISH 2022 will be based for the first time at Multaqa within Education City, with several community events taking place across different locations in Doha in the days leading up to the conference as part of Doha Healthcare Week, which will start from September 29.
Speakers for WISH 2022 will be announced over the coming months. Previously, WISH has hosted the likes of Olympic swimmer, Michael Phelps,; former president of Ireland, Mary Robinson, ; and Academy award winning actor, humanitarian and social activist, Morgan Freeman, . Several global leaders in the healthcare industry such as Dr. Tedors Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization, and representatives from social and humanitarian organizations like The Carter Center, The Global Fund and Save The Children have also participated and spoken at the WISH events.
WISH is Qatar Foundation’s global health initiative. Those wishing to attend the upcoming WISH 2022 may register their interest via https://www.wish.org.qa/news/register-your-interest-wish-2022/