On 24 May 2016, WHO in cooperation with Barbados, Jamaica, Kenya, Oman, Peru, the Russian Federation and Viet Nam, organized a side-event “Implementation of successful, cost-effective, evidence based noncommunicable diseases interventions - How the UN Inter-Agency Task Force can help countries accelerate prevention and control of NCDs by 2030” on the margins of the Sixty-ninth World Health Assembly.
In addition to the co-hosts, the panellists included representatives of Sri Lanka, UNDP, UNICEF, UNFPA, IAEA and the World Bank.
The event discussed the accomplishments of the Task Force in supporting to build national multisectoral NCD responses, including in reflecting the new non-communicable disease-related targets included in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in national development plans and policies, and enabling Member States to accelerate progress on specific non-communicable disease-related targets.
The discussion highlighted the progress countries achieved in the nine global NCD targets for 2025, and the time bound national NCD commitments for 2015 and 2016, underlined the need for countries to accelerate national multisectoral action in preparation of the third UN High-Level Meeting on NCDs in 2018; and to highlight the need for concerted action by Member States, UN Agencies, and non-state actors in the implementation of these tasks.
Ministers emphasized the need for a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches in the prevention and control of NCDs and provided a number of examples that countries have already moved forward in establishing intersectoral structures.
Minister of Health of Oman, H.E. Ahmed Mohammed Al-Saidi, shared recent actions taken in Oman in the NCD prevention and control. Oman, facing a heavy burden of NCDs especially in the form of obesity and diabetes, has initiated new structures and policies such as established an intersectoral committee on NCDs and plans for higher taxes for tobacco and food rich of sugar.
Minister or Health of Barbados, H.E. John Boyce shared the developments after the visit of the joint programming mission of the Task Force in 2015. Since the mission, Barbados has established a national strategic plan and an interministerial committee on NCDs, and increased the taxation of sugary beverages, and involved non-state actors in the cooperation.
Douglas Webb from the United Nations Development Programme, having participated in majority of 14 joint programming missions of the Task Force, highlighted the priority of making the economic case for the prevention and control of NCDs for each country, as it is crucial for the governments to be aware of the financial gains and costs of NCDs to their country, as well as savings created if the recommendations and actions suggested by the Task Force are followed.
Dr Oleg Chestnov, the Assistant Director-General for Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health of WHO, summed up by flagging the difference between investing in diseases care and in health, as the latter highlights preventive measures that should be embraced in the NCD policies. He also acknowledged that the Task Force, being a joint effort of several UN agencies, is a good example that the UN is able to effectively assist countries to promote health and address NCD-related risks and diseases.