Noncommunicable Diseases, Rehabilitation and Disability

We are responsible for leading, coordinating and monitoring global action to cover additional people with health services, medicines, vaccines, diagnostic and health technologies for the prevention, screening, early diagnosis and appropriate treatment of cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes. We aim to advance health equity for persons with disabilities, we have a focus on sensory impairments and bring together the work on rehabilitation from across the departments and from the 3 levels of the organization.

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SIDS commitments for NCDs and mental health

WHO / Yoshi Shimizu

Background

The small island developing states (SIDS) ministerial conference on the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and mental health, co-hosted by the Government of Barbados on 14–16 June 2023, has set out an ambitious agenda to transform the capability of SIDS countries to proactively respond and effectively deliver health outcomes in relation to NCDs and mental health. This represents a critical step towards building and pursuing a collective vision and course of action for accelerating progress towards SDG target 3.4 on NCDs and mental health and SDG target 3.8 on universal health coverage (UHC).

SIDS have identified the issues and drivers at the heart of the challenges posed by NCDs, mental health and climate change, and are committing to action, mobilizing resources, showcasing successes and collaborating with non-traditional partners across many of the current frameworks and actions plans that guide these interconnecting agendas and vulnerabilities. SIDS will continue to call for solutions to these challenges through an integrated, global and coherent climate change and health approach, implemented by contextual whole-of-government and whole-of-society responses that are grounded in local culture and traditional knowledge and address the interconnected social, environmental, economic and commercial determinants.

The SIDS commitments page for NCDs and mental health invites all representatives of SIDS Member States to make commitments around central themes linked to the SIDS ministerial conference. Countries are asked to submit specific actions for implementation of cost-effective interventions to accelerate progress on NCDs, mental health and environmental action in the face of climate change, and unique vulnerabilities to achieve NCD voluntary targets in the NCD Global Action Plan, as well as SDG target 3.4 and related goals.

Country submission

Commitments made by SIDS to date are listed below. To submit a commitment, please complete the template provided and submit by email to hogendorfm@who.int. 

SIDS commitments for NCDs and mental health