UN Interagency Task Force on NCDs (UNIATF)

UN Interagency Task Force

The United Nations Interagency Task Force (UNIATF) on the Prevention and Control of NCDs coordinates the activities of relevant UN organizations and other inter-governmental organizations to support governments to meet high-level commitments to respond to NCD epidemics worldwide.

The commitments were made by Heads of State and Government in the 2011 Political Declaration on NCDs, and implementation is through the WHO Global NCD Action Plan 2013–2020. The Task Force was established by the UN Secretary-General in June 2013 and placed under WHO’s leadership. Its terms of reference were adopted by ECOSOC in July 2014.

• Download our brochure
  pdf, 1.54Mb
• Download our terms of reference
  pdf, 1.16Mb

Make up this fortuneteller to discover the links between NCDs and the SDGs.

• SDG discover
  pdf, 1.77Mb

Play this game of Snakes and Ladders to increase your awareness on the Best Buy for controlling and preventing NCDs.

• Snakes and ladders game
  pdf, 200kb

UNIATF Awards 2018

UNIATF Videos

Members

• Members’ governing body policies, strategies and plans
  pdf, 639kb

• AfDB
• ERBD
• FAO
• GFATM
• IAEA
• IARC
• ICRC
• IDLO
• ILO
• INCB
• IOM
• IOC
• ITU
• OIC
• OSDP
• UNAIDS
• UNCTAD
• UNDP
• UNESCO
• UNEP
• UNESCAP
• UNFPA
• UNHABITAT
• UNHCR
• UNICEF
• UNODC
• UNOSSC
• UNRWA
• UNSCN
• UNU
• UNWomen
• WHO
• WHO FCTC
• WIPO
• WFP
• World Bank
• WTO

Context

• 2014 UN Outcome Document on NCDs
• 2013 WHO Global NCD Action Plan on NCDs
• 2011 UN General Assembly Political Declaration on NCDs
  
  

WHO

Joint missions support UN country teams in their efforts to help countries to build and share solutions for the prevention and control of NCDs, establish a UN thematic group (or an equivalent mechanism) on NCDs to serve as platforms for joint support to national efforts to address NCDs.

Joint Programming Missions also encourage whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches to NCDs by working with government and non-State partners. Joint Missions highlight a small number of crucial next steps that are required for countries to make progress on the multisectoral action in advance of the 2018 High-level Meeting.

• Learn more about Joint Programming Missions
  pdf, 1.91Mb

Country missions and progress reports

The work of the Task Force is articulated through biennial work plans. Actions includes joint programming missions to countries and joint programmes. Reviews of the work plan are undertaken annually and are available below.

Joint programmes

UNDP/WHO Joint Programme on NCDs

The UNDP WHO Joint Programme on NCDs (Joint Programme) will support countries to develop effective national multisectoral noncommunicable diseases (NCD) responses to achieve the NCD-related targets in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and other global commitments. The Joint Programme stems from the recognition that reducing the burden of NCDs cannot be achieved by the health sector alone and requires action across a number of sectors. The Joint Programme will strengthen whole-of-government and whole-of-society responses to NCDs in up to 24 countries.

• Flyer
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• Joint programming document
  pdf, 299kb
• Infographic
  pdf, 514kb

UN Joint Action on Cervical Cancer

Each year, over a quarter of a million women die of cervical cancer: 90% of these deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries. Scaling-up existing effective tools for prevention and control – particularly vaccinating against the human papilloma virus and screening for and treating pre-cancerous cervical lesions – can prevent most of these deaths. In 2016, seven UN agencies established a new five-year Joint Global Programme on Cervical Cancer Prevention and Control to elimination of cervical cancer as a public health concern across the world, bringing together the strengths of their work to protect and promote the health of women and girls.

• Flyer on cervical cancer
  pdf, 466kb

Cervical Cancer – MoU and joint programming document

• English
  pdf, 1.06Mb
• French
  pdf, 1.11Mb
• Spanish
  pdf, 957kb

60th IAEA General Conference side event – September 2016

• New United Nations joint global programme to prevent cervical cancer

Partners roundtable hosted by the US Government – December 2016

• Agenda
  pdf, 383kb
• Background paper
  pdf, 422kb
• Meeting report
  pdf, 856kb

UN Joint Action on Cancer Control

The International Atomic Energy Agency, the International Agency for Cancer Research and the World Health Organisation are joining forces for the first time to develop a joint global project to increase national capacity to prevent, control and monitor cancer. The Project, which is being developed at the moment, will build on the mandates, expertise and experience of the three agencies and will provide technical assistance to governments in about seven selected countries. It is expected that the selected countries will act as hubs to disseminate experience to neighbouring countries.

• Towards UN Joint Action on Cancer Control leaflet
  pdf, 456kb

ITU-WHO Mobile Health for NCDs Initiative

WHO and the International Telecommunications Union are collaborating with a range of Members States and other partners in a ground breaking initiative, which focuses on the use of mobile technologies to improve the prevention and treatment of NCDs. This partnership aims to contribute to global and national efforts to save lives, minimize illness and disability, and reduce the social and economic burden that NCDs create. The ITU-WHO mHealth initiative is harnessing the best available mobile technology, making mHealth accessible to all countries as a powerful anti- NCD measure.

• Be he@lthy, be mobile website

Joint letters and agreements

• IDLO and WHO - December 2014
  pdf, 282kb
• Joint working memo - March 2014
  pdf, 330kb. UNDP, WHO and World Bank
• Second UNDP/WHO letter - February 2014
  pdf, 79kb. Integrating NCDs into UNDAFs
• UNAIDS-WHO Letter of Agreement - July 2012
  pdf, 51kb
• First UNDP/WHO letter - March 2012
  Integrating NCDs into UNDAFs
• Joint programme on cancer control - March 2009
  pdf, 518kb. Arrangements between IAEA and WHO

Guidance and other relevant publications developed or supported by the Task Force are provided in this section.

Guidance for non-health sectors on NCDs

What government ministries need to know about noncommunicable diseases

Set of policy briefs and posters which provide decision makers across government with information about how NCDs affect their sector, and the steps they can take to respond to the challenge of NCDs.

Cervical cancer

HPV, HIV and cervical cancer: leveraging synergies to save women’s lives

In July 2016, at the 21st International AIDS Conference, in Durban, South Africa, UNAIDS, WHO and the Global Coalition on Women and AIDS launched this report as part of the work of the United Nations Interagency Joint Task Force on Non-communicable Diseases.

• Click here for the report
• Click here for more details on the event

Mental Health related activities

NCDs in emergencies

The range of threats to public health faced by countries worldwide is broad and highly diverse. Emergencies can lead to an acute exacerbation or a life-threatening deterioration in the health of people with NCDs. Therefore it is important to inform all stakeholders about the importance of including NCDs in the preparedness and response.

• Noncommunicable diseases in emergencies brief

Nutrition and climate change

Sustainable Diets for Healthy People and a Healthy Planet – August 2017

Developing a global food system to deliver healthy diets for a growing population, while reducing the environmental impact and reining in climate change, is one of the greatest global challenges of our time. Food production and consumption are responsible for 19-29% of the human-induced greenhouse gas emissions, 60% of the terrestrial biodiversity loss and 70% of fresh-water use. Diets, meanwhile, have deteriorated globally, leading to an increase in NCDs, particularly type II diabetes, coronary heart disease and some cancers. This paper connects the dots between sustainable food systems, dietary patterns, health, nutrition and climate change mitigation.

• English
• French
• Spanish
• Arabic
• Russian
• Chinese

Integrating NCDs into the UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAFs)

UNDP/WHO Guidance note – March 2015

• English
  pdf, 795kb
• French
  pdf, 569kb
• Spanish
  pdf, 1.81Mb

Integrating NCDs into UNDAFs – current status

• Global baseline against which progress will be measured – December 2017
  pdf, 142.39 kb
• Global baseline against which progress will be measured – December 2015
  pdf, 406kb
• Global baseline against which progress will be measured – December 2014
  pdf, 337kb

The Task Force meets twice a year, usually in February and October. Meetings are only open to Members of the Task Force. Members take it in turns to host with WHO co-chairing meetings with the agency hosting the meeting. Summaries of the meetings are made available to the public.

Global events

Trainings and workshops

Meetings of the Task Force

Once a year, the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC) considers a report from the WHO Director-General on progress of the work of the Task Force. This report is transmitted to ECOSOC by the UN Secretary-General.

Reports and resolutions