Published in News
How do you coordinate non-communicable diseases at a global level? A recent meeting of the World Health Organization has been discussing this in Geneva, with representatives from the GACD present.
A recent meeting of the World Health Organization has been discussing this in Geneva, with representatives from the GACD present.
The Global Coordination Mechanism for NCDs (GCM) organised by the WHO, called the meeting to discuss the continued inclusion of NCDs in the international development agenda.
The meeting brought together actors from different sectors who were all united in their determination to find solutions to the NCD crisis in the context of development. Some of the solutions that were highlighted include multisectoral collaboration and the breaking down of silos in order to provide strong and convincing evidence on the true costs of NCDs and create powerful synergies.
The GACD is an important piece to the puzzle and can offer a part of the solution by being both a body that coordinates the research response on the global level as well as by providing the evidence that is needed by policymakers to make effective decisions.
Margaret Chan, Director General of the WHO, highlighted that “we know what we need to do in order to address this issue, but we don’t fully know how to do it”. The GACD reflects this in its focus on implementation research, which is putting the emphasis on understanding how known interventions can be successfully implemented in different contexts, particularly low-and middle-class countries.
Since the 2011 political declaration on the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) by the UN General Assembly, efforts to address NCDs on a global level have steadily increased and NCDs have been acknowledged as a major issue on the highest level.
NCDs and development are intrinsically linked, with poverty being both a cause and a consequence of this group of conditions.
Many risk factors that contribute to the NCD burden are particularly prevalent in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), such as tobacco use and exposure to air pollution. More than 80% of the NCD burden can now be found in LMICs. In addition, the costs of treating chronic diseases are more likely to lead to financial ruin for individuals who already live in poverty. NCDs can be seen as the one of the biggest roadblocks in tackling poverty.
Further information about the meeting organised by the Global Coordination Mechanism on the Prevention and Control of NCDs can be found here.