Strategy and organization

The rapid rise of chronic diseases represents one of the major health challenges to global development. Chronic noncommunicable diseases currently account for some 60% of global deaths and almost half (47%) the global burden of disease. The majority of chronic disease death, disability and morbidity currently takes place in low- and middle-income countries. The Department of Chronic Diseases and Health Promotion (CHP) brings together a number of cross-cutting areas of work in order to lead and strengthen global efforts to prevent and control chronic diseases and to promote health through effective partnerships, especially in low- and middle-income countries.

The CHP department resulted from the 2004 merger of two departments, Chronic Disease Management, and Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, and the cross-cutting surveillance activities. This merger was prompted by the need to strengthen and rationalise the WHO's chronic disease and health promotion activities in light of the following factors:

• the growing social and economic burden of chronic diseases;
• the existing knowledge base;
• the gap in implementation;
• the demand for increased support to countries.