75 years of improving public health
Over the last 75 years, WHO has been working to protect people from key risks that lead to chronic diseases, such as tobacco use, physical inactivity, the harmful use of alcohol and unhealthy diets - that lead to diseases and conditions such as diabetes, cancer, stroke, and associated trauma and suffering, accounting for 74% of all deaths worldwide. Here's a record of key NCD milestones over the last 75 years:
1999 Global strategy for noncommunicable diseases
The global threat posed by noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and the need to provide urgent and effective public health responses was recognized in resolution WHA51.18, in which the Health Assembly requested the Director-General to develop a global strategy for the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases. Thus the first global strategy for the prevention and control of NCDs launched in 1999 was based on the lessons learned in prevention and control and on the recommendations of the WHO consultation on future strategies for prevention and control of NCDs.
2008 Heart disease and stroke
Heart disease and stroke emerge as the world's number one killers ̶ indicating a global shift from infectious diseases to noncommunicable diseases, noted the World Health Statistics report.
2011 The Political declaration on NCDs
The Political Declaration of the High-Level Meeting of the General Assembly on the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases, adopted by Heads of State and Government in September 2011, provides a road map for Member States and WHO to address the noncommunicable disease epidemic, guided by the WHO Global Strategy for Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases and its related action plan (WHA61.14, 2008).
2012 NCD targets and global monitoring framework
For the first time, WHO Member States set global targets to prevent and control heart disease, diabetes, cancer, chronic lung disease and other diseases. Following the Political Declaration on Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2011, WHO developed a global monitoring framework to enable global tracking of progress in preventing and controlling these major noncommunicable diseases – and their key risk factors.
2013-2021 The NCDs Global action plan
In 2013, WHO Member States agreed on global mechanisms to reduce the avoidable NCD burden including a "Global action plan for the prevention and control of NCDs 2013-2020". This Plan aims to reduce the number of premature deaths from NCDs by 25% by 2025 through nine voluntary global targets. Two of the targets directly focus on preventing and controlling CVDs.
2017 The Partnership for Healthy Cities
The Partnership for Healthy Cities was launched in 2017. It includes 70 cities of over 300 million inhabitants in total. The Partnership aims to put in place policies and programmes to prevent road traffic injuries and diseases like cancer, heart disease, diabetes and lung disease.
People Power – introducing WHO’s new “Intention to action” Series to enhance the meaningful engagement of people with lived experience.
WHO launched a new publication series dedicated to the meaningful engagement of people living with NCDs, mental health conditions and neurological conditions. The “Intention to Action“ series is tackling both an evidence gap and a lack of standardized approaches on how to include people with lived experience in decision- and policy-making. The series aims to do this by providing a platform from which individuals with lived experience, and organizational and institutional champions, can share solutions, challenges and promising practices related to this cross-cutting agenda. It also aims to provide powerful narratives, inspiration and evidence towards the Fourth United Nations High Level Meeting on NCDs in 2025 and achieving the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
WHO has defined meaningful engagement as the respectful, dignified, equitable inclusion of individuals with lived experience in a range of processes and activities within an enabling environment where power is transferred to people; valuing lived experience as a form of expertise and applying it to improve health outcomes. The Framework outlines a set of underlying principles and enablers that have been identified as essential to support the transition from intention to action in operationalizing meaningful engagement. The process to develop the Framework was co-created by people with lived experience from all WHO geographic regions with representatives across WHO, Member States, and various non-state actors.
For more details, contact Jack Fisher: fisherj@who.int
The first publication in the series ‘People power - Perspectives from individuals with lived experience of noncommunicable diseases, mental health conditions and neurological conditions’ includes six detailed case studies from 12 individuals with lived experience of diverse health conditions. The case studies were developed using participatory research through focus groups with people with lived experience of NCDs, mental health conditions and neurological conditions in late 2021.
Six key themes emerged from the discussions:
📍 power dynamics and power reorientation towards individuals with lived experience;
📍informed decision-making and health literacy;
📍community engagement across broader health networks and health systems;
📍lived experience as evidence and expertise;
📍exclusion and the importance of involving groups that are marginalized;
📍advocacy and human rights.
The second publication in the Intention to Action series will be launched on April 27, 2023.
Access the full case studies available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Spanish and Russian.
Launch Event - WHO Framework for Meaningful Engagement of People Living with NCDs and Mental Health and Neurological Conditions
The launch of the WHO Framework for Meaningful Engagement for People Living with NCDs and Mental Health and Neurological Conditions will be led by individuals with lived experience who have contributed to the co-creation process to share their insights, experiences and expertise. This will be accompanied by insights from WHO, Member States and other non-State actors.
11 May 2023 13:00 – 14:45 CET
Integrating the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases in HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and sexual and reproductive health programmes: implementation guidance
Newly released World Health Organization guidance on Integrating the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases in HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and sexual and reproductive health programmes guidance will help policy-makers, programme managers and health providers to maximize the impact of health services, extend access to NCD care and scale up. This implementation guidance is designed to guide a paradigm shift in health systems in order to maximize the impact of health services and extend access to NCD care. This comprises a change from addressing NCDs and other diseases vertically to addressing them in an integrated manner, from a clinical to a clinical and public health approach, guided by the principles of universal access and social justice. The guidance addresses factors such as the nature of NCD service integration, social determinants of NCDs and multi-morbidity, differences in integration by geographical setting and income level, tailoring of guidance to national and local contexts, and monitoring, evaluation and implementation research.
For more details, please contact Hongyi Xu: xuh@who.int
Regional updates
PAHO and WHO promote ear and hearing care in the Americas
In March 2023 (15-17 March), PAHO and WHO organized a Regional consultation on ear and hearing care in Panama City in collaboration with the PAHO country office and the Ministry of Health in Panama. Ministerial delegates, experts and civil society representatives representing twenty-five countries of Latin America and the Caribbean discussed the current status of and priorities for hearing care in participating Member States. They outlined actions to be taken at the regional and national levels within the next two years. The consultation was accompanied by the launch of MoH-led national newborn hearing screening in Panama.
Launch of the European Region summary of the Global oral health status report: towards universal health coverage for oral health by 2030
On 20 April 2023 WHO/Europe will launch the new status report on oral health in the WHO European Region. This new regional summary follows the publication of the Global Oral Health Action Plan (2023–2030) last year and focuses specifically on the burden of disease and on evidence-based policy solutions for the WHO European Region.
Oral diseases are among the most common noncommunicable diseases worldwide, affecting an estimated 466 million people in the European Region. Oral diseases disproportionately affect disadvantaged and marginalized populations and can have life-long impacts, particularly for children, if not treated quickly and appropriately.
This webinar will include presentations and discussion on the report’s key findings, with contributions from dental health experts, including:
- Richard Watt, Director, WHO Collaborating Centre for Oral Health Inequalities and Public Health
- Aristomenis Syngelakis, Chief Dental Officer, Greece and President-Elect, Council of European Chief Dental Officers (CECDO)
- Heming Olsen-Bergem, President, Norwegian Dental Association
- Ewout van Ginneken, European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, Global Health Observatory
For more details, contact Elena Tsoy: tsoyie@who.int.
Regional launch of the Eye care in health systems: guide for action
On the 28th March 2023, the ‘Eye care in health systems: guide for action’ was launched in the African region during a high-level webinar, hosted by AFRO and supported by the HQ Vision and Eye Care programme. In the region, despite significant success in reducing in the burden of vision impairment caused by communicable diseases (e.g. measles and onchocerciasis), cases of vision impairment caused by NCDs, including diabetic retinopathy, cataract and glaucoma, are projected to increase. The guide for action provides practical, step-by-step guidance to support Member States in the planning and implementation of integrated, people-centred eye care. Around 150 participants from government and the wider eye care community across the region joined the webinar to discuss challenges and successes and to hear about the recently developed WHO technical resources
Events & More
Global public launch of the 2023 State of the World Population Report
Join Friends of Europe and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) for the global public launch of the 2023 State of the World Population Report - Our world of eight billion: what does it mean for women’s rights? featuring opening remarks by the UNFPA Executive Director, Ms Natalia Kanem and European Commission Vice-President for Democracy and Demography, Ms Dubravka Šuica. A panel discussion with speakers from UNAIDS, the Representation of the UN System in the EU, the European Roma Grassroots Organisations (ERGO) Network, Royal Philips and El Colegio de México will follow.
Wednesday, 19 April, from 10.30 to 12.30 (CEST), online and at Townhall Europe (Square de Meeûs 5/6, 1000 Brussels).
Health in Prisons and Places of Detention International Conference
27 April is announced as the last day to submit abstracts for the Health in Prisons and Places of Detention International Conference, jointly organized by the United Kingdom Health Security Agency and WHO/Europe. The conference will take place in London, UK 20-21 June 2023. Authors are invited to submit abstracts that are related to the theme of the conference and offer a clear contribution to new scientific knowledge or public health practice. More information and submission form can be found here:
Work with us!
The WHO NCD Department has three open positions to support the Global Platform for Access to Childhood Cancer Medicines. Launched by WHO and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the Platform aims to facilitate the provision of safe and effective cancer medicines to approximately 120 000 children in 50 LMICs by 2027 and to contribute toward achieving the goal of 60% survival in the Global Initiative for Childhood cancer.
1) Technical Lead, NCD - Global Platform Access Childhood Cancer Medicines. (Application Closing date: Apr 27)
2) Technical Officer - Cancer Medicines Procurement - Global Platform for Access to Childhood Cancer Medicines, NCDs. (Application Closing date: Apr 20, 2023)
3) Pharmacist - Global Platform for Access to Childhood Cancer Medicines – NCDs. (Application Closing date: Apr 20, 2023)
For more details, contact Slim Slama: slamas@who.int
Please send your updates for inclusion in the next edition of the NCDs Newsflash: johannesa@who.int
