SECOND MEETING OF OUR STRATEGIC AND TECHNICAL ADVISORY GROUP ON NCDs

The Strategic and Technical Advisory Group on the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases (STAG-NCD) acts as an advisory body to WHO to further our work in addressing the prevention and control of NCDs.

In its capacity as an advisory body to WHO, the STAG-NCD serves to:

• Identify and describe current and future challenges, particularly related to premature mortality from NCDs, progressively covering more people with essential NCD needs, and strengthening NCDs within universal health coverage;
• Advise WHO on priority strategic directions;
• Advise WHO on developing global strategic documents; and
• Propose other strategic interventions and activities for implementation by WHO.

Last Wednesday and Thursday, we held our second STAG-NCD, chaired by Dr Jennifer Cohn, Clinical Assistant Professor of Infectious Diseases and Scholar, Center for Global Health, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, USA. Over two days, the 24 Members and WHO staff working on NCDs, including Dr Ren Minghui, Assistant Director-General on UHC/Communicable and Noncommunicable Diseases, Dr Naoko Yamamoto, Assistant Director-General for UHC/Healthier Populations, and Dr Nono Simelela, Assistant Director-General for Strategic Priorities: Cervical Cancer Elimination discussed a number of priority issues. These included:

• Ensuring WHO’s work on NCDs best aligns with Dr Tedros’s five priorities for his second term; 
• Making our update to ‘Appendix 3’ (our NCD best buys) to ensure we create a priority set of NCD interventions;
• Building strong political NCD responses, including accelerating the adoption of essential NCD interventions by WHO Member States around the world, and safeguarding policies from undue commercial influence.

Together, the Chair of the STAG-NCD makes recommendations to the WHO Director-General. In his response, Dr Tedros reflected on these recommendations, noting the importance of increasing the political prioritization of NCDs, and their necessity to strong primary health care, universal health coverage, enable policies not affected by undue commercial interests and supporting people living with NCDs in humanitarian and emergency contexts.

A full report of the second STAG-NCD meeting will be published online in due course. You can learn more about the STAG-NCD, and read the report of its first meeting, below.

Thank you to our Chair, Dr Jennifer Cohn, and all of our STAG-NCD members for two days of comprehensive and rigorous discussion on WHO global strategic pathways to accelerate NCD outcomes.

NEW MILESTONE POLITICAL ACHIEVEMENT TO HALVE ROAD TRAFFIC DEATHS AND INJURIES BY 2030

WHO welcomes the political declaration to be adopted by Member States during the High-level Meeting of the UN General Assembly on Global Road Safety. It commits to cut road traffic deaths and injuries by 50% by 2030, a milestone for road safety and sustainable mobility.

Worldwide, road crashes currently kill around 1.3 million people each year – more than 2 every minute, and more than 90% occur in low- and middle-income countries. Crashes are the biggest killer of children and young people globally. More than 50 million people have died on the world’s roads since the invention of the automobile, more than the number of deaths in the First World War or in some of the worst global epidemics.

Through the declaration, governments from around the world commit to provide leadership and coordination at the highest level of government to ensure all parts of the society are included to act on road safety and commit to boost policies and actions to reduce deaths and injuries. The declaration calls for the development and funding of national and local plans with clear targets and funding.

WHO TEAMS UP WITH THE WORLD’S LEADING ORGANIZATION FOR PHYSICIANS AND ONCOLOGY PROFESSIONALS

Over the last two decades, cancer control has diverged. One path has achieved improved survival through innovation and reliable access to high quality care. The other has subjected low-income and marginalized communities to inaccessible and poor quality care, emotional hardship and financial insecurity. These staggering inequities in cancer care between and within countries are progressively increasing, and distinctions are clear between high- and low-income countries.

In response, WHO has joined forces with the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Inc. (ASCO), the world’s leading association of physicians and oncology professionals, to develop and promote cancer care innovations that are specifically designed to enhance health outcomes, and take account of the contexts in which patients live.

The new partnership will enable ASCO and WHO to develop a coordinated approach to support WHO Member States and cancer centres with improved access to quality care, by linking facility-level quality improvement activities with national strategies. This will accelerate implementation of WHO cancer initiatives in breast, cervix and childhood cancers. Programmes planned under the partnership include developing evidence-based quality indicators to assess the quality of a facility’s care, and scaling global best practices with an aim to advance innovation in improving quality of care. 

IARC HOSTS WHO REGIONAL DIRECTOR FOR EUROPE AND FRENCH DIRECTOR-GENERAL FOR HEALTH FOR HIGH-LEVEL TALKS

Last week, Dr Elisabete Weiderpass, Director of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), welcomed Dr Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe; Professor Jérôme Salomon, Director-General for Health of the French Ministry of Health and Prevention, and delegates from their organizations, to IARC for strategic discussions on improving cancer prevention and control in Europe and worldwide.  

The discussions came ahead of IARC’s move to an ultra-modern building in Lyon’s Biodistrict, allowing the organization to continue carrying out high-quality research.

FIRST MEETING OF THE HIGH-LEVEL MINISTERIAL GROUP ON TOBACCO CONTROL IN THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN

In the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region (WHO EMRO), tobacco is imposing a substantial health and economic burden and contributing to the rising NCD-related premature mortality. In some countries of the Region, smoking can be as high as 60% among men and 22% among women in some countries. Data for young boys and girls are equally alarming. Smoking can reach 42% among boys and 31% among girls.

This month, Ministers from Qatar, Jordan, Oman, Pakistan, Iran and Tunisia have gathered as a High-level Ministerial Group to discuss the control of tobacco and emerging tobacco and nicotine products across EMRO. 

It is the first time in any WHO Region that such a committee has been established to focus on tobacco control and to accelerate the implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC). 

JOIN OUR ROSTER OF CONSULTANTS FOR INTEGRATED NCD SERVICE DELIVERY

Within the NCD Department, our Integrated Service Delivery unit works with Regional and Country Offices and partnering organizations, supporting Member States to design and deliver quality, equitable and people-centered NCD services. 

The Unit’s current work includes developing and translating evidence-based guidance for NCDs into practical solutions at country level, by shifting from fragmented models of care, toward an integrated continuum of NCD care models throughout the life-course. 

We are seeking to build a roster of consultants who can help the delivery of the Unit’s functions. Specifically, the consultant will contribute to NCDs service delivery model and implementation work in countries as follows:

• Provide technical expertise on NCD service delivery and models at countries, focusing on implementation research, services integration and models, process monitoring and evaluation of the outcomes.
• Assess and facilitate the engagement with implementation stakeholders at the implementation sites including private service providers, proposing and testing solutions and approaches to integrate, scale up the NCD service coverage, improve uptake and retention, optimize NCD care pathways and strengthening continuity of care. 

If this sounds like you, we look forward to hearing from you!

JOIN US IN OUR NEW WORLD REHABILITATION ALLIANCE

There is an urgent need to strengthen rehabilitation around the world. Globally, an estimated 2.4 billion people are living with a health condition that could benefit from rehabilitation. This number is expected to grow due to people living longer and with more chronic disease and disability. 

However, in low- and middle-income countries, more than 50% of people do not receive the rehabilitation they require. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on future rehabilitation needs is also yet to be seen.

The World Rehabilitation Alliance is a new WHO global network of stakeholders, working together to support the implementation of the Rehabilitation 2030 Initiative through advocacy. It focuses on promoting rehabilitation as an essential health service that is integral to Universal Health Coverage and to the realization of Sustainable Development Goal 3 Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. Specifically, it has objectives to:

• Conduct evidence-based advocacy activities that increase support and raise awareness on rehabilitation, and
• Strengthen networking and knowledge sharing within the rehabilitation sector.

Last month, we announced an online application process for joining the World Rehabilitation Alliance. Membership approval will be based on an assessment, due diligence process, and review of submitted documents, in accordance with the eligibility criteria and with WHO rules and policies.

We hope you will join us!

HOUSEKEEPING AND COUNTRY IMPACT

As part of efforts to improve WHO communications, we always want your feedback of what you like, and what you would like to see more of! Send me your feedback below.

We are also piloting a new On The Pulse feature series, working with WHO Regional and Country Offices to explore our country impact on NCDs! If you would like to be kept in the loop about this, please also let me know by writing.

THE TWEETS WE RETWEET

• STAG-NCD members and civil society discuss importance of acting on NCDs as central to the WHO Director-General's five priorities for his second term (June 2022)
• Deadline extended on applications for the 3rd cycle of the WHO NCD Lab (June 2022)