This statement was delivered by the World Heart Federation under agenda item 13.1 – Noncommunicable Diseases – at the Seventy-Eighth World Health Assembly.
Honourable Chair,
Distinguished Delegates,
The World Heart Federation urges bold political action to address cardiovascular disease – the world’s leading, yet most preventable, health threat.
WHF calls on Member States to prioritize cardiovascular disease within national NCD strategies and pursue targeted action to:
- Treat 500 million more people with hypertension by 2030;
- Aim for 50% global hypertension control by 2030;
- Implement fiscal policies with at least 50% excise tax on tobacco, alcohol, and sugar-sweetened beverages;
- Adopt the WHO Air Quality Guidelines (2021); and
- Reduce premature NCD-related deaths and disabilities by 50% globally by 2050.
Our global response must prioritize low- and middle-income countries, which bear the highest burden of NCDs.
We urge the adoption of measurable targets and dedicated cardiovascular health action plans with built-in indicators and accountability.
WHF also endorses the Call to Lead on NCDs. The time for half-measures has passed. Let us act decisively – and save lives now.