WHO Western Pacific Meeting of National Senior Officials for Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs)
1. Background information
Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), primarily cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), cancers, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes, are the leading causes of death globally. In the WHO Western Pacific Region (WPR), the number of deaths due to NCDs has increased significantly from 8.6 million in 2000 to 10.9 million in 2012. The probability of dying prematurely from one of the four major NCDs in the Western Pacific Region ranges from as low as 8% in the Republic of Korea to as high as 36% in Papua New Guinea.
The commitments made by world leaders at the two high-level meetings of the United Nations (UN) General assembly in 2011 and 2014 led to the successful inclusion of target 3.4 into the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to reduce by one-third the premature deaths from NCDs by 2030. NCD prevention and control is increasingly being recognized as an important cross-cutting platform to promote healthy, including the thirteenth general programme of work (GPW) 2019–2023 currently being finalized.
At the WHO Western Pacific Region, the NCD unit in the Regional Office has been providing technical support to Member States based on the Western Pacific Regional Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases 2014-2020. Efforts include building capacity to address NCDs and their risk factors through leadership workshops on NCD overall, health promotion and cancer, among many others.
Recent reports show we are on the path to tangible progress in countries. However, they also reveal that progress has been impeded in many countries suggesting to calling for bolder political action to address constraints. These efforts will include mobilization of domestic and external resources and safeguarding communities from interference by powerful economic operators.2,
To recall the commitments and review progress made by Member States in the prevention and control of NCDs, the First WHO Global Meeting of National NCD Programme Directors and Managers was conducted on 15-17 February 2016 at WHO headquarters where participants identified specific action areas to prioritize until 2018. This was followed by the Global Conference on NCDs from 18 to 20 October 2017 at Montevideo, Uruguay where the Montevideo Roadmap 2018-2030 on NCDs as a Sustainable Development Priority was announced. Recently, the sixty-eight session of the Regional Committee for the Western Pacific endorsed the Regional Action Plan on Health Promotion in the Sustainable Development Goals 2018–2030 to translate commitments to practical action for health and other sectors.
In preparation of the third UN High-level Meeting on NCDs, which will be held in September 2018, a WHO Western Pacific Meeting of National Senior Officials for Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) is proposed. A Regional meeting will allow Member States that could not attend the Global Meeting of National NCD Programme Directors and Managers in 15-17 February 2016 an opportunity to plan for next steps to meet global targets. Member States that attended the global meeting will provide updates on the progress made on the actions identified in 2016 and to exchange success stories to get inspiration from each other. This will contribute to the achievement of target 3.4 of the SDGs through prevention and treatment and promotion of mental health and wellbeing.
<Summary>
In the WHO Western Pacific Region, the number of deaths due to noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) has increased significantly from 8.6 million in 2000 to 10.9 million in 2012. SDG target 3.4 calls on countries to, by 2030, reduce by one-third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promoting mental health and well-being. Recent reports show we are on the path to tangible progress in countries. However, they also reveal that progress has been impeded in many countries and that bolder political action is needed to address constraints.
In preparation of the third UN High-level Meeting on NCDs, which will be held in September 2018, the First WHO Global Meeting of National NCD Programme Directors and Managers was conducted on 15-17 February 2016 at WHO headquarters. This was followed by the Global Conference on NCDs on 18-20 October 2017 at Montevideo, Uruguay. Recently, the sixty-eighth session of the Regional Committee for the Western Pacific endorsed the Regional Action Plan on Health Promotion in the Sustainable Development Goals 2018–2030. To further inspire each other through sharing success stories in the Region, a WHO Western Pacific Meeting of National Senior Officials for Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) is proposed.
2. Objectives
(1) to review the challenges and opportunities of achieving the nine NCD voluntary global targets in the Western Pacific Regional Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases 2014-2020 and target 3.4 of the Sustainable Development Goals;
(2) to share innovative interventions and good practices in each country for the prevention and control of NCDs and their risk factors, especially for areas that Member States require bolder action to meet targets;
(3) to discuss next steps to scale up national action for the prevention and control of NCDs and build partnerships, including through implementation of the Regional Action Plan on Health Promotion in the Sustainable Development Goals 2018–2030; and
(4) to report to senior decision-makers in their respective governments who will attend the UN General Assembly in 2018 of the context and importance of the third UN High-level Meeting on NCDs.
3. Dates and site
- Dates: 29 to 31 May 2018
(A secretariat meeting will be held on 28 May 2017)
- Site: National Cancer Center (NCC), Seoul, Republic of Korea
4. Working language
English only
5. Participants
- One senior-level official under the Ministry of Health (or equivalent) overseeing NCDs and their risk factors is invited from all 27 Member States.
- Participants to be invited from Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Cook Islands, Fiji, Guam, Hong Kong, Japan, Kiribati, Lao PDR, Macao, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Federated States of, Mongolia, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Viet Nam
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