Los Angeles & The United Arab Emirates: City Diplomacy, Pandemic Response, and Disaster Preparedness
Photo credit: Jakayla Toney
BY Kelsey Suemnicht
In partnership with the United Arab Emirates Consulate General in Los Angeles, the Pacific Council gathered leaders across sectors to discuss the novel approaches that cities provided towards mitigating the COVID-19 pandemic in November 2021. Below are five crucial lessons learned from this discussion that we want to share as the world charts a path forward for the future of international cooperation and disaster response.
With gratitude for the service and contributions of the following officials and thought leaders who pioneered pandemic response efforts in the global COVID-19 pandemic:
Dr. Omar Najim, Executive Office Director at Department of Health, Abu Dhabi
Dr. Saif Al Dhaheri, Spokesperson, National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority, Abu Dhabi
Mr. Fahad Almuheiri, National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority, Abu Dhabi
Mr. Rashed Al Hemeiri, UAE Director of Foreign Assistance Affairs
Ms. Brie Loskota, Executive Director, Martin Marty Center for the public understanding of religion at the University of Chicago & Co-founder of the American Muslim Civic Leadership Institute
Dr. Ben Oppenheim, Vice President, Product, Policy and Partnerships, Metabiota
Dr. Sohaela Amiri, Policy Researcher, RAND Corporation & Research Associate, USC Center for Public Diplomacy
Dr. Peter Katona, MD, FACP, FIDSA; Chair, Infection Control Working Group; Clinical Professor of Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA; and Adjunct Professor of Public Health at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health
Collaboration and sharing case studies will be key to our future survival
It’s crucial to adjust our approach to tackling the global health pandemic. Instead of preparing for crises “just in time,” we need to take the approach of “just in case” to properly equip local and global entities across sectors and on all levels. We need to find a way to make cooperation standard, not exceptional. As we will certainly face global climate challenges and disasters in the future, promoting a culture of collaboration will be key in being able to respond properly.
It’s important to manage the public’s reaction to a crisis
The United Arab Emirates leads its COVID-19 public engagement efforts with transparency and honesty, creating a way for the public to feel comfortable communicating about infection spread and community needs. Conversely, the pandemic public engagement in the United States lacked a clear strategy and pitted groups against each other by classifying various aspects as essential vs. non-essential. Having a clear definition of risk and explaining community-based action on a scale of risk, helps to delegate recovery efforts, manage infection mitigation actions, and strengthen crucial partnerships. Strategic communications and taking command of the narrative are critical tools in ensuring safety and to create more effective synergy between the city and national levels of management.
Make a good decision early, rather than a perfect decision too late
Digital research and data, investing in the infrastructure to make data available is crucial to information disaster response. The ability to move with agility in crisis management has been a necessary element in order to make decisions early and in pace with the spread of COVID-19, rather than within the limits of what our current infrastructure allows. If our science and ability to capture data is not providing the answers we need, then it’s crucial we invest in being able to respond in a more agile way to future local crises to help prevent them from becoming global crises.
Virtual Round Table Discussion, November 2021 with Fahad Almuheiri, Kelsey Suemnicht, Carmille Lim, Dr. Jerrold Green, Fahad Almuheiri, Dr. Saif Al Dhaheri, Dr. Sohaela Amiri, Dr. Ben Oppenheim, Brie Loskota, Dr. Peter Katona, Dr. Omar Najim, Consul General Hazza Alkaabi, Dalal Chamas
City Diplomacy is a template for future success in managing disaster responses
Our pandemic revealed the value of international relationship-building and maintaining and the role of cities as connectors. Pre-established relationships that grew from existing diplomatic programs helped global cities more closely collaborate and support other countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. Consul-Generals led efforts in cities around the world and played crucial roles in distributing information, aid, and supplies. For example, Mayor Eric Garcetti, as chair of the C40 Cities Network, convened this network to discuss how to manage COVID-19 and share best practices, even though it was a network previously established to tackle climate change challenges in cities around the world.
Our global situation will always dictate the local situation
The challenges of the pandemic highlighted the need for ongoing collaborative communication between the local community and government. Without the effort of cities locally, important global events that provide forums for international collaboration and exchange would have not been possible, like the UAE hosting Expo 2020 in Dubai. We can see and feel that we are connected on many levels, more so than before this global pandemic. It’s important to acknowledge the many teams collaborating internationally, with the mindset that nobody is out of this pandemic unless everyone is out of this pandemic.
The Global City Fellowship Program, under the leadership of the Pacific Council on International Policy, advocates for city diplomacy in the public sphere, develops Los Angeles’ role as a leader on international issues, and forges strong ties between Angelenos and their counterparts in international cities. The Pacific Council seeks to inspire a culture of global engagement from our home city in Los Angeles, and applies a local-to-global lens on everything we do. We strive to help people who live and work in their local communities understand how their movements, choices, and local policies have global impact.
Recommended Reading from the Pacific Council:
The Meta-Lessons from COVID-19 by Luke J. Matthews
Alice C. Hill and Her New Book, “The Fight for Climate After COVID-19”
Additional Resources:
How to make the most of city diplomacy in the COVID-19 era by Anthony F. Pipa and Max Bouchet
5 Takeaways on U.S. City Diplomacy During the COVID-19 Crisis By Jian (Jay) Wang and Sohaela Amiri
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Kelsey Suemnicht is is the inaugural Global City Fellow. Suemnicht is a public affairs professional who has worked as a contracted Digital Engagement Manager at the U.S. Department of State, Media Analyst at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), and Editorial Researcher at Foreign Policy Magazine. She holds a Masters in Public Diplomacy from the University of Southern California.
Find out more about our Global City Fellowship Program here.
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Pacific Council.
