Third meeting of the Regional Director’s Advisory Council on Innovation for Noncommunicable Diseases

Overview

To intensify efforts to tackle noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), which are responsible for nearly 90% of deaths and 84% of years lived with disability in the WHO European Region, the WHO Regional Director for Europe established an Advisory Council on Innovation for Noncommunicable Diseases (NCD Advisory Council). This Council brings together renowned experts on NCDs and representatives of special interest groups. At the inaugural meeting in December 2020 and the second meeting in March 2021, it was agreed that a new energized roadmap, based on a set of six Signature Initiatives, should be developed to accelerate progress towards – and ideally beyond – the NCD targets. Six Signature Initiatives were further developed by specific working groups between March and June 2021. The Signature Initiatives can be summarized as: childhood obesity; data and digital health; digital marketing; greener cities; health taxes and alcohol; and hypertension and salt. At the third meeting on 1 July 2021, Council members were invited to review the proposed Signature Initiatives and reflect on their potential impact and feasibility. The discussion highlighted the many interlinkages between the Signature Initiatives and emphasized the importance of identifying synergies and using data to guide decision-making and prioritization.