September, 2011
Member States Adopt Political Declaration on NCDs at UN High Level Meeting Sept., 26, 2011 On September 19 Member States of the United Nations unanimously adopted a political declaration on the global prevention and control of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The declaration signals NCDs as a “global burden and threat” posing “one of the major challenges for development in the twenty-first century.” The High Level Meeting on NCDs, held from September 19-20 at the UN, was attended by more than 30 Heads of State or Government and marks only the second time the General Assembly has taken up a specific health topic. The declaration includes a number of key commitments for the UN system and Member States for the coming years, even though it falls short of some advocates’ proposals, including those put forth by the Global Health Council’s NCD Roundtable. Included in the document are five key time-bound commitments: By the end of 2012:
1. Global monitoring framework – The declaration tasks the World Health Organization (WHO) with establishing a comprehensive global monitoring framework for NCDs, including a set of core indicators.
2. Global targets – The declaration calls upon WHO to propose a set of voluntary global targets for NCDs.
3. Partnership – The declaration requests the Secretary General to submit proposals to the 67th General Assembly on options to strengthen multi-sectoral action to address NCDs.
By the end of 2013:
4. National NCD policies and plans – The declaration calls for establishing or supporting and strengthening multi-sectoral policies and plans.
By the end of 2014:
5. Comprehensive Review – The declaration calls for a comprehensive assessment in 2014 of progress achieved to fulfill commitments made in the political declaration, including a report by the SecretaryGeneral to focus on multi-sectoral action and impact on the achievement of international goals, such as the Millennium Development Goals.
Political Declaration of the High-Level Meeting on NCDs | more For more information on the NCD High-Level Meeting | click here For more information on the Global Health Council’s NCD Initiative |
93 Organizations Urge Obama to Attend NCD High Level Meeting June 27, 2011 In September, the United Nations will convene the second ever High Level Meeting on a specific health issue to chart a global response to NCDs, or non-communicable diseases. These are a group of new challenge diseases, like cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, and diabetes, with common risk factors that include smoking, alcohol abuse, physical inactivity, and unhealthy diet, that now cause more than 60% of all deaths globally, 80% of which occur in developing countries. The High Level Meeting is an opportunity for all stakeholders, including heads of state and heads of government, to collectively address “one of the major challenges for development in the twenty-first century,” as was noted in the recently released draft outcomes document, and commit to actionable steps to prevent and control NCDs. The Global Health Council NCD Roundtable facilitated a letter, signed by 93 organizations, representing NGOs, academia and the private sector that calls on President Obama to demonstrate leadership and attend the High Level Meeting in New York. Read the letter | here Read more about GHC’s NCD work | here Read the Draft Outcomes Document | here Read the Secretary General’s Report | here