Today's Edition
DUBAI (WAM)
His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, approved the strategy and operating budget of the Dubai Longevity Authority (DLA) following the inaugural board meeting of the Authority, which operates under His Highness' Presidency.
The approvals represent the next phase in the Dubai Longevity Authority's development, moving it from establishment to implementation as the world's first dedicated regulator for the Longevity, Wellness and Advanced Health (LWAH) sector, advancing a sector defined not by how long people live, but by how long they live in good health.
His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said: "Dubai's development model places people's health, wellbeing and quality of life at the heart of its priorities.
Guided by this vision, the Dubai Longevity Authority's strategy sets a clear path towards establishing Dubai as a leading global hub for longevity, wellness and advanced health. We aim to create an ecosystem that brings together innovation, talent, investment, and regulation to foster new scientific discoveries and translate them into solutions that help people live longer and in better health.
By attracting the world's brightest minds in life sciences, biotechnology and medical innovation, we are building a sector that will drive scientific progress, contribute to sustainable economic growth and reinforce Dubai's position as a global destination for the industries of the future. Every step we take, every partnership we build and every innovation we enable ultimately serves one purpose: serving humanity."
Established under Law No. (17) of 2026 and under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the DLA operates under the Presidency of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and the Chairmanship of Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General of the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET).
The Authority governs the full value chain – from research and clinical trials through the sourcing, manufacturing and market-delivery cycle, to responsible commercialisation – giving businesses the certainty to build, and advance healthspan solutions for humanity at large. In doing so, it supports the objectives of the Dubai Economic Agenda, D33, and the Dubai Social Agenda 33.
The inaugural board meeting brought together Helal Saeed Almarri, as Chairman of the Board; Omar Sultan Al Olama, Director General of the Office of the Crown Prince of Dubai, as Vice Chairman; Dr Alawi Alsheikh-Ali, Director General of the Dubai Health Authority; Eng. Marwan Ahmed bin Ghalita, Director General of Dubai Municipality; Khalfan Belhoul, Chief Executive Officer of the Dubai Future Foundation; and Dr Amer Sharif, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Health. The board approved the strategy and operating budget focused on accelerating regulatory development, pilot implementation and market activation.
Since its establishment on June 6, the Authority has fast-tracked activation steps, framing its foundational architecture by defining its governance model and setting the direction for an activity-based licensing framework, minimum standards and enforcement. Central to this is the design of its Minimum Viable Product (MVP) programme, a controlled environment for selected innovators to test, learn and scale under supervision.
This agile mode of regulatory enablement allows public and private sectors to advance in lock-step rather than sequentially, in a setting that creates a global frame of reference by being progressive but never permissive.
Alongside the regulatory structure, the DLA carries a shared responsibility for enabling the wider ecosystem, spanning investment, intellectual property, talent and infrastructure. This means the industry can be built to evolve dynamically, scale sustainably, and set a global benchmark for the sector worldwide.
Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General of the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) and Chairman of the Dubai Longevity Authority, said: "Guided by the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and the directives of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, we are building a globally competitive ecosystem for the future of health from first principles, spanning the Longevity, Wellness and Advanced Health sector.
In our first weeks since inception, we have framed DLA's governance and set its regulatory direction, moving at pace while taking a rigorous approach.
Today's approvals from His HIghness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum give us the mandate to accelerate through a phased roadmap into licensed activity, institutional investment, and tangible gains in both healthspan and lifespan, for all."
Looking ahead, the DLA will deepen its regulatory capability and advance the MVP programme, working in partnership with key government entities and relevant federal authorities.
Its focus will expand to strategic partnerships, investor enablement, and globally operable frameworks for data and intellectual property, alongside the first market-facing initiatives, which will begin to build public confidence in a sector that is trusted by design.
