At the kind invitation of the State of Kuwait, the Kuwaiti Ministry of Health hosted a delegation from the Department of Social Services in Sharjah, represented by the “Sharjah Age-Friendly City” office, with the aim of transferring the experience of the Emirate of Sharjah as an age-friendly city and reviewing the initiatives and strategic plans for age-friendly cities, considering that Sharjah is the first Arab age-friendly city. The delegation was headed by His Excellency Ahmed Al-Mail, Director of the Social Services Department in Sharjah, with the participation of Ms. Asma Al-Khadri, Director of the Sharjah Age-Friendly Cities Office. During the meeting, the Sharjah delegation reviewed the emirate’s efforts and experience in joining the World Health Organization’s Global Network of Age-Friendly Cities, which came in implementation of the directives of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah. The strategic plan (2024-2026) of the Sharjah Office and the initiatives implemented at the level of the Emirate of Sharjah were also presented. The delegation discussed how the State of Kuwait can benefit from Sharjah’s experience and apply it to help achieve joining the global network and implement initiatives related to serving and the well-being of Kuwaiti elderly. During the event, a workshop was held to prepare the “National Guide for Age-Friendly Cities” with the aim of setting national standards that take into account the needs of the elderly in the State of Kuwait and contribute to improving their quality of life. The workshop agenda included a review of the international standards for age-friendly cities and how to implement them in accordance with the laws and legislation in the State of Kuwait. Within the framework of joint cooperation, the Sharjah delegation made field visits to various sites concerned with providing services for the elderly in Kuwait, where it provided opinions and advice on how to develop services and exchange experiences in this field. These visits were also distinguished by highlighting the technical and technological support provided by the Sharjah Age-Friendly Cities Office, especially with regard to implementing international standards for age-friendly cities. Integrated efforts In this context, His Excellency Ahmed Al-Mail expressed his appreciation for the efforts of the State of Kuwait in joining the Global Network of Age-Friendly Cities, praising the solid infrastructure that serves different age groups in Kuwait and that is in line with the standards of the Global Network of Age-Friendly Cities. Al-Mail added that the State of Kuwait has distinguished features that qualify it to be among the age-friendly cities, and has benefited from the best practices and initiatives that have had a positive impact on the lives of the elderly. We hope that these experiences will contribute to adapting appropriate solutions to provide services and initiatives that contribute to raising the quality of life of the elderly. His Excellency stressed the readiness of the Social Services Department to support Kuwaiti institutions in their efforts to make their cities age-friendly, noting that Sharjah is the only Arab member of the global network, and that it strongly encourages the expansion of Arab cities’ participation in this global initiative, which primarily serves our elderly fathers and mothers in the region. Vision and Strategy For her part, Ms. Asmaa Al-Khudari, Director of the Sharjah Age-Friendly Cities Office, reviewed the details of the strategic plan for the Sharjah Program for the years (2024-2026), explaining that the plan includes many positive outcomes, including enhancing community support programs for the elderly, providing advanced health and housing services, as well as benefiting from the experiences of the elderly in the emirate. She added that the office aims to expand the programme's efforts locally and regionally and seek to attract more Arab cities to join the network. She also expressed the office's readiness to provide all types of technical and technological support to our brothers in the State of Kuwait to ensure its successful joining of the Global Network of Age-Friendly Cities.