Throughout 2021 and as a response to decisions made by recent World Health Assemblies, my team at WHO's NCD Department together with colleagues in the Departments for Health Promotion, Mental Health and Substance Use, and the Global NCD Platform, have been working hard to prepare several activities for the 150th edition of WHO's Executive Board (also known as 'EB150'), being held later this month from the 24th to the 29th of January. This has also included working closely with WHO's Regional NCDs Directors, our Technical Advisory Groups, expert groups, regional consultations, civil society working groups and through web-based consultations.

The WHO Executive Board is made up of 34 technically qualified members. Every January, these members meet to agree on the agenda for the next World Health Assembly, including what resolutions should be considered, and how to implement decisions and policies. 

Together, we are delighted to bring 10 activities to EB150. This includes work to accelerate progress against SDG target 3.4, support marginalized people living with NCDs, and to galvanize global action on diabetes. 

These activities will save lives, improve livelihoods, and boost global outcomes for NCDs, and the opportunities make me proud to share them with the Executive Board.

In this message, I share information about each of these activities (also known as 'Annexes' in reporting documents) with you. They can be found under item item 7 of EB150, on the political declaration of the third high-level meeting of the General Assembly on the prevention and control of NCDs. 

If you have any questions about the process, or about how our work on NCDs aligns with global governance efforts, please reach out to me below. 

You can also contact my colleagues Devora Kestel and Svetlana Akselrod for information about activities on mental health, neurological conditions and the draft global action plan for alcohol, and the WHO Global Coordination Mechanism on the Prevention and Control of NCDs (GCM/NCD), respectively.

DRAFT IMPLEMENTATION ROAD MAP 2023–2030 FOR THE GLOBAL ACTION PLAN FOR THE PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF NCDs 2013–2030

Target 3.4 of the Sustainable Development Goals is to reduce premature mortality from NCDs by one third by 2030 relative to 2015 levels. Yet, only 17 countries are currently on track to meet that target for women and 15 for men. 

Earlier this year, the 74th World Health Assembly asked WHO to develop an implementation roadmap that decides on what priority activities and pathways are needed to accelerate progress towards SDG target 3.4 over this decade. As such, the purpose of the implementation roadmap is to guide and support Member States to take urgent measures, in 2023 and beyond, to accelerate progress and domestic action plans and put them on a sustainable path to meet WHO's nine voluntary global NCD targets and SDG target 3.4.

At EB150, we are presenting our proposed implementation roadmap. It sets three strategic directions, to:

1. Accelerate national response based on the understanding of NCDs epidemiology and risk factors and the identified barriers and enablers in countries;
2. Prioritize and scale up the implementation of most impactful and feasible interventions in the national context; and 
3. Ensure timely, reliable and sustained national data on NCD risk factors, diseases and mortality for data driven actions and to strengthen accountability.

DRAFT RECOMMENDATIONS TO STRENGTHEN AND MONITOR DIABETES RESPONSES WITHIN NATIONAL NCD PROGRAMMES, INCLUDING POTENTIAL TARGETS

More than 420 million people are living with diabetes - a number that is expected to rise beyond half a billion by 2030. One in two adults living with type 2 diabetes are undiagnosed. And despite 2021 marking 100 years after the discovery of insulin, insulin remains out of reach for far too many.

Earlier this year, a resolution agreed at WHA74 urged Member States to raise the priority given to the prevention, diagnosis and control of diabetes, and the prevention and management of risk factors such as obesity.

WHO has been asked to develop recommendations to strengthen and monitor diabetes responses within national NCD programmes, and to consider potential targets in this regard. WHO was also asked to make recommendations for the prevention and management of obesity.

These draft recommendations are being presented at EB150. As part of the recommendations, we are recommending that five global diabetes coverage targets are established to be achieved by 2030:

• 80% of people with diabetes are diagnosed;
• 80% of people with diagnosed diabetes have good control of glycaemia;
• 80% of people with diagnosed diabetes have good control of blood pressure;
• 60% of people with diabetes of 40 years or older receive statins; and
• 100% of people with type 1 diabetes have access to affordable insulin treatment and blood glucose self-monitoring.

DRAFT GLOBAL STRATEGY ON ORAL HEALTH

Recognizing the global public health importance of major oral diseases and conditions, this year's World Health Assembly adopted resolution WHA74.5 on oral health. This requests that WHO consult with Member States to develop a draft global strategy on tackling oral diseases. The strategy will inform the development of a global action plan on oral health.

The strategy sets the vision of achieving universal health coverage for oral health for all individuals and communities by 2030, enabling them to enjoy the highest attainable state of oral health. To do so, it sets four goals for guiding Member States to:

1. Develop ambitious national responses to promote oral health;
2. Reduce oral diseases, other oral conditions and oral health inequalities;
3. Strengthen efforts to address oral diseases and conditions as part of UHC; and
4. Consider the development of targets and indicators, based on national and subnational contexts.

DRAFT RECOMMENDATIONS TO STRENGTHEN POLICIES TO TREAT PEOPLE LIVING WITH NCDs AND TO ACT ON RISK FACTORS IN HUMANITARIAN EMERGENCIES

The number of people currently affected by humanitarian emergencies worldwide is unprecedented. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has estimated that 235 million people will need humanitarian assistance and protection in 2021.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted the attention to pandemic emergency preparedness and responses, the nature and frequency of emergencies require the global health community to adopt a broader approach, in which all types of hazards are assessed, anticipated and better responded to. Simultaneously, due to population growth, ageing and other factors, the NCD burden among populations affected by natural and man-made disasters is growing, and requires the better inclusion of NCDs in emergency preparedness and responses.

These draft recommendations cover how NCDs should be integrated in global responses to COVID-19, and more broadly in all hazards for people living in vulnerable and humanitarian settings.

PROGRESS TO IMPLEMENT THE GLOBAL STRATEGY TO ACCELERATE THE ELIMINATION OF CERVICAL CANCER AS A PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEM, AND ASSOCIATED GOALS AND TARGETS

In 2020, WHO launched the global strategy to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem. To eliminate cervical cancer, all countries must reach and maintain an incidence rate of below four per 100 000 women.

Achieving that goal rests on three key pillars and targets set in the global strategy:

• Vaccination: 90% of girls fully vaccinated with the HPV vaccine by the age of 15;
• Screening: 70% of women screened using a high-performance test by the age of 35 and again by 45; and
• Treatment: 90% of women with pre-cancer treated and 90% of women with invasive cancer managed.

This Annex sets out the progress achieved in the implementation of resolution WHA73.2 on the global strategy, and our associated goals and targets for this decade. 

PROGRESS ACHIEVED IN THE PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF NCDs AND THE PROMOTION OF MENTAL HEALTH

From this year until 2031, the World Health Assembly has asked WHO to provide an annual report on the progress achieved in the prevention and control of NCDs and the promotion of mental health. This report is submitted to the Health Assembly through the Executive Board.

As such, this Annex explores the global burden of NCDs and mental health conditions, the risk of premature death from these conditions, and a summary of the state of national capacity for NCD prevention and control, including how this capacity has been affected by COVID-19.

The Annex is split into two parts: the first contains the report on the progress achieved in the prevention and control of NCDs, and the second Annex covers the promotion of mental health.

DRAFT INTERSECTORAL GLOBAL ACTION PLAN ON EPILEPSY AND OTHER NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS IN SUPPORT OF UNIVERSAL HEALTH COVERAGE

In 2020, the World Health Assembly asked WHO to develop a 10-year intersectoral global action plan on epilepsy and other neurological disorders. By consulting with Member States, this plan is intended to promote and support a comprehensive, coordinated response across multiple sectors. 

This draft intersectoral global action plan on epilepsy and other neurological disorders 2022–2031 being presented to EB150 aims to improve access to care and treatment for people living with neurological disorders. It also explores ways to prevent new cases, and promote brain health and development across the life course.

As such, the draft intersectoral global action plan seeks to support the recovery, well-being and participation of people living with neurological conditions, while reducing associated mortality, morbidity and disability, promoting human rights, and addressing stigma and discrimination.

It proposes a series of targets, including for each of the following strategic priorities:

• Raising political prioritization and strengthening governance;
• Providing effective, timely and responsive diagnosis, treatment and care;
• Promoting health behaviour across the lifecourse;
• Fostering research and innovation and strengthening information systems;
• Strengthening the public health approach to epilepsy.

DRAFT ACTION PLAN (2022–2030) TO EFFECTIVELY IMPLEMENT THE GLOBAL STRATEGY TO REDUCE THE HARMFUL USE OF ALCOHOL AS A PUBLIC HEALTH PRIORITY

The global disease burden attributed to consuming alcoholic beverages is unacceptably high.

According to WHO estimates, in 2016 alcohol consumption resulted in some 3 million deaths worldwide (5.3% of total deaths), and 132.6 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs, 5.1% of total DALYs). Deaths from consuming alcoholic beverages are higher than from diseases such as tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS.

In 2010, the World Health Assembly endorsed the global strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol. While some progress has been made, the implementation of the global strategy has not resulted in considerable reductions in alcohol-related morbidity and mortality, as well as its ensuing social consequences. Globally, levels of alcohol
consumption and alcohol-attributable harm remain unacceptably high.

In 2020, EB146 requested WHO develop an action plan for 2022–2030, to effectively implement the global strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol as a public health priority. The draft of the action plan is provided as an Appendix to this Annex for EB150.

DRAFT RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT OF OBESITY OVER THE LIFE COURSE, INCLUDING POTENTIAL TARGETS

Obesity is a disease, and a risk factor for several NCDs including heart disease, hypertension and stroke, several cancers, type 2 diabetes; musculoskeletal conditions and pulmonary diseases. Globally, the prevalence of overweight and obesity and the number of affected individuals have increased in all age groups, and will continue rising during the next decade.

Apply multisectoral and Health in All Policies approaches is critical to effectively prevent and manage obesity. This includes the policy domains of health, food systems, social protection, the built environment and physical activity, finance and trade, health literacy
and education, among others.

This Annex provides draft recommendations for governments, civil society, academia, economic operators in the food system, and in sport and recreation industries, as well as for WHO itself to improve global outcomes, and to achieve the following targets endorsed by WHA and the United Nations General Assembly:

• Halt the rise of obesity in children under 5, adolescents and adults by the year 2025 (against a 2010 baseline);
• End all forms of malnutrition by the year 2030 (against a 2015 baseline);
• Reach 3% or lower prevalence of overweight in children under five years of age by 2030.

The Annex also proposes intermediate outcome targets and process targets to scale up action.

DRAFT WORKPLAN: GLOBAL COORDINATION MECHANISM ON THE PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF NCDs (GCM/NCD)

Established in 2014, the WHO Global Coordination Mechanism on the Prevention and Control of NCDs (GCM/NCD) is the first and only WHO instrument aimed at facilitating multistakeholder engagement and cross-sectoral collaboration to prevent and control NCDs.

Last year, WHA74 extended the current terms of reference GCM/NCD until 2030, with plans for a mid-term evaluation in 2025. In addition, WHO was requested to develop a workplan for GCM/NCD, for discussion at this year's EB150. This workplan sets out several priority areas, including:

• Serving as an operational backbone for knowledge collaboration and the dissemination of innovative multistakeholder responses at country level;
• Enabling the global stocktaking of multistakeholder action at country level and for co-designing and scaling up innovative approaches, solutions or initiatives;
• Providing and updating guidance to Member States on engagement with non-State actors.

OUR NEW LOOK

As part of efforts to improve WHO communications, this edition of the NCD Newsflash comes from our new platform, Campaign Monitor! We appreciate your patience as we refine this new template, and you can share your feedback at the link below.