Abu Dhabi membership of WHO

This file concerns Abu Dhabi’s application for associate membership of the World Health Organization (WHO). It contains correspondence relating to:

• Ruler Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan’s decision to join the WHO, prompted by a malaria outbreak in Buraimi
• Political implications of joining the organisation and hopes that it will spur movement towards unification among the other Trucial States
• Lobbying for support for Abu Dhabi’s application at the UN; and the likelihood of the application descending into political quarrels
• Proposals to delay the application in light of the uncertainty around the future political shape of the Gulf following the January 1968 announcement of Britain’s military withdrawal
• Correspondence from the WHO to Abu Dhabi regarding locust control and dental health