Whichever path taken to universal health coverage, country level implementation is our central focus, requiring good country support based on country and local context, and appropriate use of new technology and digital tools to target the NCDs that cause nearly three-quarters of deaths in the world. These aims are moved forward this week by the opening of a WHO Collaborating Centre for Eye Care and Vision in China and listening to the experts of the STAG-NCD.
3rd meeting of the STAG-NCD
3rd meeting of the Strategic and Technical Advisory Group on the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases (STAG-NCD)
14 – 15 August: Third Meeting: The STAG-NCD was established in October 2021 to act as an advisory body to WHO to further WHO’s leadership and coordination role in promoting and monitoring global action against NCDs. Chaired by Dr Jennifer Cohn and co-Chaired by Dr Jeyaraj Durai Pandian, the STAG on NCDs acts as an advisory body to WHO to further WHO’s efforts and work in addressing the prevention and control of NCDs. The aim is to strengthen international and national action to (1) reduce premature mortality from NCDs through prevention and treatment and (2) progressively cover additional people with health services, medicines, vaccines, diagnostics and health technologies and (3) strengthen efforts to address NCDs as part of universal health coverage (UHC). In its capacity as an advisory body to WHO, the Strategic Technical Advisory Group on the Prevention and Control of NCDs has the following functions:
- to identify and describe current and future challenges;
- to advise WHO on strategic directions to be prioritized;
- to advise WHO on the development of global strategic documents;
- to propose other strategic interventions and activities for implementation by WHO.
Call for Experts
The World Health Organization is seeking experts to serve as members of the STAG-NCDs. This “Call for experts” provides information about the advisory group in question, the expert profiles being sought, the process to express interest, and the process of selection. Deadline: 1 September 2023.
For more information, please contact the NCD Department
New WHO Collaborating Center
Launch of a new WHO Collaborating Center for Eye Care: Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, China
12 August: On Saturday the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University was launched as a WHO Collaborating Centre for Eye Care and Vision during an event held in Guangzhou, China. The event was attended, and included remarks from, the National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China, WHO, and Sun Yat-sen University. The Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center brings a wealth of experience and expertise in research and training the next generation of eye care professionals. As a WHO Collaborating Centre, they will provide important support to strengthen WHOs work in addressing the most urgent barriers to accessing universal eye health coverage in low- and middle-income settings.
WHO collaborating centres are institutions such as research institutes, parts of universities or academies, which are designated by the Director-General to carry out activities in support of the Organization's programmes. Currently there are over 800 WHO collaborating centres in over 80 Member States working with WHO on areas such as nursing, occupational health, communicable diseases, nutrition, mental health, chronic diseases and health technologies. By definition, a WHO collaborating centre is an institution designated by the Director-General of WHO to form part of an international collaborative network set up by WHO in support of its programme at the country, intercountry, regional, interregional and global levels. In line with the WHO policy and strategy of technical cooperation, a WHO collaborating centre also participates in the strengthening of country resources, in terms of information, services, research and training, in support of national health development.
For further information contact Stuart KEEL
WHO SPECS 2030 INITIATIVE
WHO SPECS 2030 INITIATIVE INTRODUCED AT THE 2030 INSIGHT LIVE EVENT
Organised by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), ‘2030 IN SIGHT LIVE’ showcased presentations and discussions on eye care in low resource settings. WHO experts gave an explanation of the WHO SPECS 2030 Initiative, followed by a panel discussion with experts. Watch the presentation to find out more. Uncorrected refractive error is the leading cause of vision impairment in child and adult populations. Globally, it is estimated that only 36% of people with a distance vision impairment due to refractive error have received access to an appropriate pair of spectacles, while more than 800 million people have a near vision impairment (i.e., presbyopia) that could be addressed with a pair of reading spectacles. In recognition of the large unmet need for care, coupled with the fact a highly cost–effective intervention exists (i.e. spectacles), WHO Member States endorsed the first-ever global target for refractive error at the Seventy-fourth World Health Assembly (2021). Specifically, the global target is a 40-percentage point increase in effective coverage of refractive error by 2030. The WHO SPECS 2030 initiative has the mission to support Members States with the achievement of the 74th World Health Assembly endorsed 2030 target on effective refractive error coverage.
For further information contact Stuart KEEL
Social marketing for public health
Program on Social marketing for public health: Best practices webinar
Join us on Wednesday, August 30, 2023, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m (EDT) for our Program on Social Marketing for Public Health webinar. We will share the importance and the role of social marketing in health promotion and prevention of NCDs, provide an overview of our implementation of the Program on Social Marketing for Public Health, and listen to the experiences and lessons learned from of country teams from Latin America and the Caribbean, that have participated in the tutorized modality. Available in English and Spanish with simultaneous translation. Register: https://paho-org.zoom.us/j/81880371720?pwd=UjFzOFU5eFBCN1FENjVwS2h1U3h0Zz09
For further information contact Arantxa Cayón
Multistakeholder Gathering on Tackling NCDs
UNGA78 | Towards Achieving Universal Health Coverage: Multistakeholder Gathering on Tackling Noncommunicable Diseases. Registry now open.
20 – 22 September; New York, United States of America: The UN General Assembly will convene three High-Level Meetings on health during its 78th session (UNGA 78) in New York in September 2023. These present a historic opportunity for world leaders to place health back on the high-level political agenda as they recommit to ending tuberculosis (TB), delivering universal health coverage (UHC) and strengthening pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response.
WHO, NCD Alliance and the World Diabetes Foundation will co-host the second Multistakeholder Gathering to Accelerate Action on SDG 3.4 and UHC on the occasion of the second annual Gathering of the Global Group of Heads of State and Government for the prevention and control of Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) for the Global NCD Compact, to be held in the margins of the UN High-level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage (UHC) 2023,. The multi-year aim of the Global Group of Heads of State and Government for the prevention and control of NCDs, launched in April 2022, is to accelerate progress towards SDG 3.4 and achieving universal health coverage through SDG 3.8 by 2030.
For further details contact Prebo Barango
Neurological disorders in the spotlight
The WHO Intersectoral global action plan on epilepsy and other neurological disorders is now published
Neurological disorders are the leading cause of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and the second leading cause of death globally, accounting for nine million deaths per year and a significant non-communicable disease (NCD) burden. The Intersectoral Global Action Plan on epilepsy and other neurological disorders 2022-2031 (IGAP), endorsed by the 75th World Health Assembly in May 2022, which for the first time addresses these disorders comprehensively and globally, is now published. The plan is aligned with the Global Action Plan for the prevention and control of NCDs. IGAP has five strategic objectives and ten global targets which cover actions for Member States and civil society encompassing governance, funding and advocacy, through health workforce training and carer support, access to medicines and health technologies, information systems and research, to promotion of brain health and prevention of neurological disorders across the lifespan. Activities to support the implementation of IGAP are underway such as development of a toolkit and a global status report on neurology.
For further information please contact Tarun Dua
UN NCD Task Force 2023 Report recommendations endorsed
On 25 July 2023 the Economic and Social Council considered the UN NCD Task Force’s 2023 report and endorsed the report’s nine recommendations that support ever greater UN-wide action to support to Member States tackle NCDs, mental health, digital health and broader health-related Sustainable Development Goals more broadly. Werner Obermeyer, Director at the WHO Office in New York summarized findings of the report and recommendations, highlighting achievements of the Task Force over the last 10 years and examples of lessons learnt, including:
- The importance of tools to strengthen governance, financing and multisectoral action that have been developed at the global level being tailored to the country context – and where this is done it can result in powerful action:
- That relatively modest levels of well-directed technical and financial support will catalyse effective action: continuity of support is critical to increase and sustain impact, at least in the near term as capacities develop
- The value of multisectoral engagement in preventing and controlling NCDs and improving mental health, but that this needs to be linked to broader action on sustainable development;
- The need to operationalize digital health tools for NCD prevention and control.
Specific recommendation included in the report can be found on pages 22 and 23.
ECOSOC’s decision to endorse the report also requested the Task Force to provide the Council with a further report in 2024.
For further information contact Alexey KULIKOV
Summary Report on Global Kidney Policy Forum 2023
Key speaker Dr. Bente Mikkelsen Director of NCD, spoke of the partnership and the need to “agree on the goals and ways to achieve better health for people living with kidney diseases” at the Global Kidney Policy Forum 2023. The forum was the fifth meeting in an ongoing series, focusing on “International Focus on Kidney Health Challenges and Opportunities Affecting the Oceania and South-East Asia Region.” Released by the International Society of Nephrology, this report now contains summaries of speeches and links to a video of the forum. An important outcome of the first policy forum, which took place in Mexico City, Mexico, in April 2017, was the creation of the Recommendations to Global Kidney Health, developed by stakeholders to address the growing burden of kidney disease worldwide. The recommendations were designed to guide future efforts to reduce the global burden of kidney disease and underpin the work of each Global Kidney Policy Forum, freshly updated in 2023.
For Further information contact Federica De Giorgi
WHO Global Evidence to Policy Summit
29-31 August 11:00 – 13:30 UTC: virtual event: Evidence as a Catalyst for Policy and Societal Change: Building Trust and Bridging the Evidence-to-Policy Gap. The WHO E2P Summit in 2021 marked a pivotal moment in advancing global health and well-being through evidence-informed decision-making. At the forefront of this transformative event, the Evidence-informed Policy Network (EVIPNet) emerged as a leader for systematically driving evidence-to-policy change. By fostering evidence-informed health policy-making, EVIPNet aims to propel the world towards a future where health becomes more resilient, equitable, sustainable, and based on science. As a follow-up summit to 2021, the WHO Global Evidence-to-Policy E2P Summit 2023 represents a unique opportunity for researchers, professionals, knowledge brokers, and policy-makers to be part of the dialogue that drives evidence-informed policy-making.
Further information contact Bianca Hemmingsen
Regulatory tool on trans fatty acids
Elimination of industrially produced trans fatty acids: PAHO brings together experts from the Region to draft regulatory tool.
8 Aug: The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) brought together a group of Member States experts to review existing regulatory proposals from different countries in the Region that aim to eliminate industrially-produced trans-fatty acids (IP-TFA) from the food supply. Trans fat clogs arteries and increases the risk of coronary heart disease. The workshops were held at The Pan American Health Organization headquarters on the 7 and 8th of August 2023, with the participation of representatives of ministries of health and legislators from Panama, Mexico, Ecuador, and Costa Rica along with experts from Resolve to Save Lives, and the World Health Organization. The primary objective of the meetings was to assist in the development and refinement of regulatory instruments specific to each country, as well as to discuss a roadmap to approve and enact these regulatory mechanisms.
For further information contact Arantxa Cayón
Healthier food at sports events
Launch of new action guide: Healthier food and healthier food environments at sports events
24 August 14:00 - 15:00 CEST: Join the Department of Nutrition and Food Safety for the launch of the action guide ‘Healthier food and healthier food environments at sports events’. The publication, to be launched during an online webinar on 24 August is intended for use by sports event organizers, proposes five actions to achieve healthier food and healthier food environments in and around sports stadia. The high visibility of sports mega-events offers valuable opportunities for potentially larger impact reaching billions of fans worldwide, creating positive perceptions of healthier foods and beverages in the stadium and beyond. This guide, developed in collaboration with the State of Qatar, includes multiple examples of the work done at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ to ensure that 30% of the food offered in stadia was healthier.
For more information contact food systems
Contest: Youth Voices on Mental Health
Contest closing time: 17 August: 12:00 (EDT): We are inviting you to participate and spread the word on PAHO’s Youth Voices on Mental Health contest, which invites adolescents and young people between 10 and 24 years of age in the Americas to participate in the "Youth Voices" creative contest, to articulate their vision regarding the ongoing mental health crisis in the Region of the Americas. The contest will close on August 17, 2023, at 12:00 pm noon (EDT). Winners will be announced in September. Works may be submitted in local and indigenous languages of the countries of the Region of the Americas, these entries must include an English or Spanish translation, in a Word file.
For further information contact Arantxa Cayón
Please send your updates for inclusion in the next edition of the NCDs Newsflash: johannesa@who.int
