The Dubai Land Department in partnership with Delos organised “The Future of Health, Wellness and Innovation Forum” on December 12 at the Museum of the Future in Dubai, UAE.

In keeping with the DLD's aim to boost Dubai's position as a preferred global real estate destination, the forum emphasized the need for upgrading buildings and residential communities and making them healthier, safer, and smarter. The agenda sought to highlight the urgent need to make communities better and more sustainable through the integration of global standards, science-backed policies, and relevant technology.

A Memorandum of Understanding on initiatives, products, and solutions for the healthy building movement was signed by the DLD and Delos at the start of the forum. The MoU is an undertaking to explore possibilities and prospects for raising awareness on the Wellness initiative, organizing events focused on healthy communities and buildings, exchanging ideas and information about the healthy building movement, and highlighting the top medically proven technologies for improving overall indoor health.

The forum was inaugurated by Sultan Butti bin Mejren, Director-General of the Dubai Land Department. During his opening address he stated, “Health and safety issues have always been fundamental pillars of the UAE’s strategy, and Dubai in particular, towards ensuring growth by promoting innovation and sustainability, in line with the developmental approach pursued by the wise leadership under the guidance of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai.”

The one-day forum saw panel discussions on varied aspects that impact indoor environment and was interspersed with presentations by Dubai Police, Dubai Municipality, a local university, and other organisations.

Eng Marwan bin Ghalita, CEO of the Real Estate Regulatory Agency, Paul Scialla, Anas Kassem, Managing Director of Stantec, and Rob Devereux, CEO of Brookfield Properties Middle East, participated in the first panel discussion which shed light on the future of health and well-being in buildings and communities. Marwan bin Ghalita emphasized the significance of healthy and sustainable buildings as part of RERA's plan to make Dubai a top urban sustainable city. Scialla explained the impact healthy buildings have on the occupants, as well as how occupant behaviour came into focus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As part of its work to expand awareness and raise overall indoor environment standards across the emirate, Dubai Land Department (DLD) acquired the ‘WELL Health-Safety Rating’ certificate issued by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) for second year in a row. The ‘WELL Health-Safety Rating’ certificate is based on the science that looks into the interrelationship between people and buildings and the effects on their health and quality of life.

After achieving the certification for the second year running, the DLD said, "This continued effort to uphold international standards of hygiene and sterilisation procedures, emergency preparedness programmes, innovation standards, and others is part of the Dubai Land Department’s mission to consolidate its pioneering approach in advancing health and sustainability goals and achieving the highest international standards relating to buildings and their quality." DLD is the first government entity in Dubai to obtain this achievement.