In line with General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) efforts to undertake Social Corporate Responsibility initiatives, GCAA teamed up with UAE Genetic Disease Association (GDA) and signed an MoU to provide support to GDA’s activities in UAE, notably those evolving around preventing the occurrence of Thalassemia, a common genetic disorder in UAE.

The MoU was signed in GCAA’s Dubai offices. H.E Saif Al Suwaidi, Director General of GCAA, and Dr. Mariam Mattar, Founder and Chairperson of GDA.

“GCAA has always been keen on supporting other local sectors, than aviation, in UAE to advance and attain their objectives,” said Al Suwaidi.

“We hope that such collaboration will provide the GDA with the support they need to reach all sectors of UAE public,” He added.

Dr. Marim Mattar expressed her appreciation of the GCAA support and affirmed the “importance of teaming up with local authorities to raise awareness about genetic disorders among UAE population.”

UAEGDA is a non-profit organization established with main aim to control and prevent population-specific genetic diseases prevalent in the UAE.

The activities of UAEGDA include promoting health education, screening for genetic disorders, pre-marital screening and genetic counseling.

The UAE GDA also facilitates communication and publication of scientific knowledge, to promote education and research in genetics, and encourages interaction between workers in genetics and those in related sciences.