Dialogue on strengthening international cooperation on NCDs

Under the umbrella of the Global Coordination Mechanism (GCM) on Noncommunicable Diseases participants from 90 countries came together in Geneva in early December to discuss how international cooperation can help countries achieve their targets with regard to NCD reduction.

The two-day gathering provided ample opportunity for participants from governments, UN bodies, NGOs, academia and the private sector to look at successful examples of international cooperation and compare ideas for potential future opportunities for collaboration. Participants agreed that while there is a significant disconnect between the scale of the problem and the current commitment of resources, this alone does not explain why more has not been done yet to address the massive burden of disease and that there are opportunities for using existing resources in a more efficient and impactful way. However, this requires stronger evidence on how proven interventions can be successfully implemented in different local contexts. Implementation research can help close this evidence gap, which was highlighted to be particularly acute in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) by Afghanistan’s Ambassador Dalil. The Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases (GACD) funds implementation research projects involving LMICs and vulnerable populations in high-income countries with the aim of helping policymakers in those countries address the burden of NCDs.

So far, members of the GACD have funded research in the areas of hypertension and diabetes and a call for proposals on respiratory diseases is currently underway. The GACD will continue to aim for stronger coordination of international research efforts to address NCDs, helping to bridge the gap between research and policy and practice.

The GCM’s next dialogue in 2016 is expected to focus on the role of non-state actors in supporting countries in their efforts to tackle noncommunicable diseases.