Launched in 2024 by the Middle East Council on Global Affairs in partnership with the Gates Foundation and with the support of the Government of Qatar, the Doha Health Initiative For the Global South (DHI) provides a platform for Global South countries to share lessons, strengthen cooperation, and shape regionally driven health solutions.

The initiative was established in response to persistent challenges in many Global South health systems, where indicators remain stagnant despite significant global investments. Doha Health Initiative For the Global South (DHI) amplifies South–South knowledge exchange, enabling policymakers to engage in peer learning and identify practical solutions to common health policy and implementation challenges.

This year, we convene senior health policymakers and technical leaders from the Global South, alongside Qatari stakeholders and regional and international partners, to accelerate maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) outcomes.

Designed as a practical, country-led working platform, the convening will move from diagnosing shared challenges and learning from country experience to identifying priorities, strengthening collaboration and agreeing on practical follow-up actions. Discussions will explore proven high-impact interventions, implementation and scale-up, the changing MNCH financing environment, and ways to advance country priorities through existing national plans, budgets and implementation platforms.

The programme combines South–South exchange, country case discussions, facilitated group work, and engagement with emerging innovations and international partnership opportunities. It will also address women’s health in fragile and conflict-affected settings, with the technical discussions informing a public high-level panel on 28 October.

The Middle East Council on Global Affairs (ME Council) is an independent, non-profit policy research institution based in Doha, Qatar. It conducts policy-relevant research, convenes meetings and dialogues, and engages policy actors on geopolitical and socio-economic issues facing the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The ME Council strives to serve as a bridge between the MENA region and the rest of the world by providing a regional perspective on global policy issues and establishing partnerships with other leading research centers and development organizations across the MENA region and the world.

Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Mark Suzman, under the direction of Bill Gates and the board of trustees.