In a statement to the World Health Assembly on Monday 29 May, the World Heart Federation and NCD Alliance called on Member States to make the third UN High-Level Meeting on non-communicable diseases (HLM 2018) a strategic priority. The meeting will be held next year in New York City.
Describing NCDs as the ‘social justice issue of our time’, the statement underlined the key political and technical preparations necessary to make the meeting a success, including:
1. Participation by heads of state and government
2. Political mobilization across health and relevant non-health sectors
3. Meaningful engagement of people living with NCDs and civil society
4. An action-oriented outcome document with bold commitments for all relevant sectors
The statement also called for adequate financing for ‘chronically underfunded’ NCDs, and noted the development opportunities offered by engagement with sectors such as education, energy and transport.
During Member State discussions on this issue, many countries – including Sri Lanka, Estonia and Liberia – called for greater action on the harmful use of alcohol, while the Philippines stated its intention to pursue regulatory reforms to increase action to tackle NCDs. The vast majority of Member States expressed strong support for preparations for HLM 2018.
Following extensive parallel discussions on the updated Appendix 3 – a list of cost-effective policy options to tackle NCDs – Member States passed the draft Resolution on this item. However the United States of America disassociated itself from this endorsement of Appendix 3, while Italy too expressed reservations.
To find out more about CVD advocacy around the UN High-Level Meeting on NCDs, you can listen to a recording of a webinar delivered by the WHF Policy & Advocacy Team here.
