Welcome to the first NCD Newsletter for June 2023, where we discuss the Luxembourg Statement on access to medicines, mental health, and the NCDs; as well as a health film festival, the WHO Country Presence Report with impactful stories, advances in understanding lung cancer, efforts to improve earing and sight, as well as events flowing from No Tobacco Day
WHO European Region adopt landmark statement
11 smallest countries in WHO European Region adopt landmark statement committing to key actions to improve people’s health
For further information contact WHO European Region
WHO’s presence and work in countries highlighted
Country presence report 2023 & Country impact stories (MTRR)
WHO Presence in countries, territories and areas: 2023 report
The report presents information on WHO’s presence, role, and work across all country offices and provides a forward outlook that is aligned with the recommendations of the Action for Results Group (ARG) working towards strengthening country-level work and impact. The 2023 report was prepared in collaboration with 152 WHO country offices who provided data through a purpose-built survey, the six regional country support units, and various departments at of WHO’s headquarters, following the decision WHA69(8), the Secretariat prepares the biennial WHO country presence report that is presented at the World Health Assembly.
Country Presence Report 2023:
[https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/367811]WHA76 information document (A76/INF./3): [https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA76/A76_INF3-en.pdf]
Country impact stories: part of the Midterm Results Report
Read some of the NCD focused stories :
This latest series of country impact stories for the Midterm Results Report (MTRR) (2022-2023) was developed in collaboration with the regional country support units and the country office colleagues from across 58 countries and territories. These stories form part of the qualitative aspect of the formal reporting for the biennium and demonstrate how WHO’s work at country level has led to tangible improvements towards the GPW13 outcomes and towards impact. The stories are available on the WHO Country Presence Portal, identifiable with the WHO75 branding: https://intranet.who.int/tools/whocpp/countrystories
For further information contact: ACHARYA, Shambhu Prasad
Health for All Film Festival
June 6: More than 780 short film entries were received, with some 93 shortlisted for the 4th edition of HAFF, showcasing critical health topics ranging from emergencies and mental health to sexual and reproductive health and climate change. An NCD focused film won the Grand Prix in the Universal Health Coverage category “Jonathan’s Miracle Feet,” which focuses on disability in Sierra Leone. The Film Festival celebrates four health categories: UHC, Health emergencies, Sexual and reproductive health and rights and Better health and well being. Eight other films were given prizes, of these two focused on mental health and depression, getting a Special Prize :“Gasping for life” and “Mirrors.” The 4th Health for All Film Festival, celebrated health impact through film, including discussions between filmmakers and jurors, on Youtube, with French and Spanish interpretation. The 93 shortlisted films are available on WHO’s YouTube channel in six playlists, one for each of the competition categories: Universal health coverage, Health emergencies, Better health and well-being, Climate change and health, Sexual and reproductive health and rights, and Very short films.
For further details contact the festival
Timor-Leste’s Minister of Health gets award for tobacco work
Timor-Leste’s Minister of Health gets the WHO Director-General’s Special Recognition Award
Every year, World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes exemplary work on tobacco control through the World No Tobacco Day Awards. With technical support from WHO, Timor-Leste’s health minister dr. Odete Maria Freitas Belo led the effort to increase tobacco taxes, through policy dialogue with the Minister of Finance, the Prime Minister, the President, the Council of Ministers and the Parliament, which last year approved an increase in excise duty from US$ 19 a kilogram to US$ 50 a kilogram. Already this year Parliament doubled the duty to US$ 100 a kilogram. Minister dr. Belo has won the award for her and the Ministry’s contribution towards combatting tobacco use in the island nation. The country has focussed on a multipronged approach by establishing and expanding cessation centres with support from WHO country office, increasing taxes on tobacco to make it less affordable, initiating steps to curb illicit trade of tobacco and implementing the Package of Essential Noncommunicable Diseases (PEN). H.E. Mrs. Maria de Lurdes BESSA, Permanent Representative of Timor-Leste to the United Nations Office at Geneva accepted the award on behalf of the Minister.
For further information contact: MATHUR, Arvind
WHO European Region Tobacco Updates
Subsidizing tobacco a blow to sustainable food production
Tobacco farming continues to be subsidized in some countries of the WHO European Region. These payments incentivize farmers to use large areas of fertile land to grow tobacco rather than healthy food, even though tobacco has been shown to have an adverse impact on people’s health and on the environment. Foreign exchange earned from exporting tobacco is also used to import expensive, processed food, while growing tobacco leads to soil erosion and desertification and contributes to food insecurity.
For further information contact:guerraja@who.int
Interview: From seedbed to cigarette butt – tobacco’s trail of harm and broad injustice
An interview with the Director of the Unfairtobacco project.
“We have a holistic approach to tobacco control, which goes all the way from the seedbed to the cigarette butt,” says Sonja von Eichborn, Director of the Unfairtobacco project. She explains how the project, founded by Blue21 – a nongovernmental organization based in Germany, aims to show how the tobacco industry harms farmers, consumers and the environment. “It’s the notion of injustice that’s at the heart of our work. When we organize workshops in schools, we find that most students know that smoking isn’t healthy, but they don’t know where the product, tobacco, comes from. They are astonished to find that tobacco use is not only a health issue.”
...and here are country stories with a special focus on tobacco control:
Slovenia’s public health advocates recognized for commitment to tobacco control
Slovenia’s National Institute of Public Health (NIPH) and its Anti-Tobacco Working Group (ATWG) have been nominated for a WHO World No Tobacco Day award for their efforts and commitment to tobacco control during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. NIPH is the leading public health organization in Slovenia working in the field of tobacco control. Its ATWG closely collaborates with national institutions and nongovernmental organizations to raise awareness about the dangers of tobacco and advocate for stronger tobacco regulation.
Ukraine survey results highlight challenges
On World No Tobacco Day (WNTD), Ukraine’s commitment to tobacco control remains steadfast amidst the ongoing conflict. The Centre for Public Health of the Ministry of Health (MoH) of Ukraine, together with WHO, emphasizes the significance of this day which serves as a global platform to raise awareness about the hazards of tobacco use and promote cessation efforts. Ukraine implemented comprehensive legislative measures to regulate both traditional and novel tobacco and nicotine products in January 2022, prior to the full-scale invasion by the Russian Federation.
For further information contact: Kryuchkov Igor
WHA76 integrates well-being into public health
76th World Health Assembly adopts the Global framework for integrating well-being into public health utilizing a health promotion approach
28 May: WHO Member States agreed to adopt, the "Global framework for integrating well-being into public health utilizing a health promotion approach", which strives to enable all people to flourish and achieve their full physical and mental health potential throughout their lives and across generations. The Framework recommends six strategic directions that focus on:
- Nurturing planet Earth and its ecosystems;
- Designing social protection and welfare systems based on equity, inclusion and solidarity;
- Designing and supporting implementation for equitable economies that serve human development;
- Promoting equitable universal health coverage through primary health care, health promotion and preventive services;
- Promoting equitable digital systems that serve as public utilities, contribute to social cohesion and are free of commercial interest; and
- Measuring and monitoring well-being.
For more information, please contact: benabdelazizf@who.int
Workshop for cancer screening experts
CanScreen-ECIS workshop for cancer screening experts
Researchers from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and partner institutions organized a two-day workshop on 1–2 June 2023 for cancer screening experts as part of the “Strengthening cancer screening data collection to update the European Cancer Information System and improve quality and coverage of cancer screening programmes in Europe” (CanScreen-ECIS) project. The workshop was attended by 64 experts from 32 European countries, both online and on site at the new IARC building in Lyon, France.
For further information contact: terrassev@iarc.who.int
Markers of lung cancer identified
IARC researchers identify early blood protein markers of lung cancer that may improve early detection
Researchers from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and partner institutions have identified protein markers in blood samples that are associated with future lung cancer diagnosis, and have developed an algorithm based on these markers to predict future lung cancer cases. These important complementary findings were published today as separate articles in Nature Communications and the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
For Further information contact: terrassev@iarc.who.int
IARC Summer School
Summer school starts with cancer module as Dr Elisabete Weiderpass is re-elected as the Director of the specialized cancer agency of the World Health Organization
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Summer School 2023 starts its programme today. It will be held online and face-to-face, for the first time in the new IARC headquarters building in Lyon. This year two modules are again being offered: “Introduction to Cancer Epidemiology” and “Implementing Cancer Prevention and Early Detection”. Both will comprise a preparatory work phase online, followed by a 1-week period of live sessions on site, enabling epidemiologists, statisticians, physicians, oncologists, and other public health specialists to learn and benefit from IARC’s expertise. The IARC also announces the re-election of Dr Elisabete Weiderpass as its Director for a second five-year term.
For further information contact: terrassev@iarc.who.int
WHO Global Refractive Error Expert Consultation in Geneva
A recent WHO Report estimates that, globally, only 36% of people with vision impairment due to refractive error have received access to a good quality pair of spectacles. In 2021, the World Health Assembly endorsed the first-ever global target for refractive error, specifically, a 40-percentage point increase in the effective coverage. In order to support Member States to achieve this target, WHO intends to launch a new global initiative called WHO SPECS 2030. On the 11th and 12th May, WHO convened an in-person consultation in Geneva with a broad range of stakeholders in the field of refractive error to introduce this global initiative and the feedback received will make an important contribution towards the launch of WHO SPECS 2030 in late 2023.
For further infomration please contact: keels@who.int
Consultation on the Make Listening Safe Initiative
June 7-9: Over one billion young people are at risk of hearing loss due to unsafe listening practices. In response, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched the Make Listening Safe initiative in 2015. It aims to reduce the risks posed by hazardous listening behaviours and promote safe practices worldwide. To drive progress for this initiative, WHO is once again collaborating with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and experts, organizations, and youth groups representing 16 different countries at a consultation at WHO Headquarters in June this year. The meeting will discuss four points.
- Promotion of existing safe listening standards (Safe listening devices and systems and ‘Safe listening for venues and events),
- Ways to raise awareness for different target audiences
- Ways to promote safe listening for a new target area, gaming and esports, and
- Next steps to achieve the vision of the Make Listening Safe initiative.
For furtehr information contact: chitrac@who.int
Please send your updates for inclusion in the next edition of the NCDs Newsflash: kennedyan@who.int
