The UN High Level Meeting on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) recognized NCDs as a major global challenge and one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Key outcomes of the meeting included agreeing to develop voluntary global targets for NCD prevention by the end of 2012 and calling for multisectoral approaches across government sectors to address social and environmental risk factors like tobacco use, unhealthy diet, and physical inactivity. While the meeting raised awareness of the growing NCD burden, some critics argued it lacked specific funding commitments and targets to drive real progress against NCDs at a global level.

1. UN High Level Meeting
on non-communicable disease

2. Political
Declaration

3. What are people saying?
“This meeting has made the world
sit up and take notice of the huge
global burden that NCDs are
placing on all countries”
#UNSummit #NCDs Declar. = No
targets No commitments No Money
No hope for patients in dvelopng
world.

4. Some highlights
Recognize that the conditions in which people live and their
Social determinants lifestyles influence their health and quality of life, and that
poverty, uneven distribution of wealth, lack of education, rapid
urbanization and population ageing, and the economic social,
gender, political, behavioural and environmental determinants of
health are among the contributing factors to the rising incidence
and prevalence of non-communicable diseases;
Recognize that effective non-communicable disease
Whole-of-government prevention and control require leadership and multisectoral
approaches for health at the government level, including, as
approach appropriate, health in all policies and whole-of-government
approaches across such sectors as health, education, energy,
agriculture, sports, transport, communication, urban planning,
environment, labour, employment, industry and trade, finance
and social and economic development;
Advance the implementation of multisectoral, cost-effective,
population-wide interventions in order to reduce the impact of the
Fiscal, regulatory, and common non-communicable disease risk factors, namely tobacco
use, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and harmful use of alcohol,
legislative measures through the implementation of relevant international agreements
and strategies, and education, legislative, regulatory and fiscal
measures

5. Not everyone agrees…
“While regulation and tax both
played important roles, a free society
could not simply legislate those
health problems out of
existence. People and businesses
must be engaged, and the food and
drinks industry should be seen, not
just as part of the problem, but part
of the solution. Further, the healthy
choice must not just be the right
choice, but the positive, easy and fun
choice. An emphasis on prevention,
physical activity and personal and
corporate responsibility could,
alongside unified Government
action, make a big difference.”

6. A long road ahead
HIV-2001 NCD-2011
Political declaration of the High-level Meeting
Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS
of the General Assembly on the Prevention
“Global Crisis – Global Action” and Control of Non-communicable Diseases
constitutes a global emergency constitutes one of the major challenges for
development
Solemnly declare our commitment to Call upon WHO, in collaboration with
address the HIV/AIDS crisis by taking Member States through the governing
action as follows, taking into account bodies of WHO... building on the work
the diverse situations and already under way, to prepare
circumstances in different regions and recommendations for a set of voluntary
countries throughout the world; global targets for the prevention and
control of non-communicable diseases,
By 2005, reduce the proportion of infants
before the end of 2012;
infected with HIV by 20 per cent, and by
50 per cent by 2010, by ensuring that 80
per cent of pregnant women accessing Accelerate implementation by States
antenatal care have ... parties of the WHO Framework
Convention on Tobacco Control

7. Main Results
• WHO is going to develop a comprehensive
global monitoring framework and voluntary
targets by the end of 2012
• Secretary-General to submit a report at its
67th session on options for strengthening and
facilitating multisectoral action
• Secretary-General to submit a report at its
68th session on progress and impact on
internationally agreed development goals, in
preparation for the 2014 comprehensive
review of progress

8. Many Calls to Action on NCDs...+1?
-Adapted from Ebrahim IJE

9. Continuing Low Funding
CDs
NCDs
No significant relationship between aid and burden of disease
e.g. Stuckler et al Lancet 2009; Sridhar and Batniji Lancet 2009; Suhrcke et al Bull WHO 2009

10. Where Next?
• No money
• No targets
• No grassroots
…building a social movement?

11. Re-frame debates
“Processed foods, very high in salt, trans fats, and sugar,
have become the new staple food in nearly every corner
of the world. They are readily available and heavily
marketed. For a growing number of people, they are the
cheapest way to fill a hungry stomach. The world
certainly needs to feed its population of nearly 7 billion
people. But it does not need to feed them junk food.”
– Margaret Chan 1
“We plead for lifestyle changes”
– Margaret Chan 2

12. Create and identify political
opportunities
Ann Keeling, “The good news is we now have
Ban Ki Moon, “I especially call on more political momentum – and we have cost-
corporations that profit from selling effective solutions for addressing both the risk
processed foods to children to act factors, such as tobacco use and salt intake,
with the utmost integrity. I refer not and the diseases themselves. It’s vital that we
only to food manufacturers, but also continue to build on this momentum, to forge
the media, marketing and a new partnership between governments, the
advertising companies that play UN, NGOs and the private sector, to tackle the
central roles in these enterprises.” very preventable causes of this global
epidemic”.

14. Mobilising Resources

15. End of the beginning?