We are very proud and happy to mark the second anniversary of the UN High-Level Meeting on the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases and the adoption of the Political Declaration on NCDs on 19-20 September 2011.

To mark this second anniversary, the NCD Alliance has written an open letter to the President of the 68th UN General Assembly, H.E. John Ashe. In this letter, we congratulate the UN for all of the work done to implement the Political Declaration to date, as well as outline our vision for a successful 2014 comprehensive review and assessment in 2014.

Click here to read the letter to H.E. John Ashe on the 2nd anniversary of the HLM.

Click here for resources on the High-level Meeting in 2011, including a list of commitments made at the Summit.

This is only the beginning of a long journey toward a healthy future. We must ensure that the mandates of the Political Declaration are fully developed and successfully implemented at all levels, and among all stakeholders.

We are not alone in marking this anniversary, either. How other organisations honored the first anniversary:

• International Food Information Council Foundation published an article on What’s This Global Discussion On “NCD’s” and Do You Have a Role? An Update on Noncommunicable Disease Prevention and Control Efforts

First Anniversary of the HLM - 2012

To commemorate this occasion, NCDA wrote an open letter to UN Secretary-General Mr. Ban Ki-moon. In it, we thank him for the continued attention and action on NCDs, and pledge our support as the global and UN system’s responses to the NCD crises are further developed.

We are not alone in marking this anniversary, either. How other organisations honored the first anniversary:

• World Heart Federation as part of the Global Cardiovascular Disease Taskforce released a new paper calling upon governments to support at least 10 targets for the NCD framework. The paper will be released on September 29th to celebrate World Heart Day.

• International Diabetes Federation celebrated the by looking at progress on diabetes and NCDs over the past year. A special webpage is dedicated to this.

• Arogya World produced a series of op-ed pieces in partnership with Young Professionals Chronic Disease Network (YPCDN) featuring leaders in public health.

• Uganda NCD Alliance is marked the anniversary of the High-level Meeting with the release of a commentary offering a clinician’s perspective on the impact of the Summit and what needs to be done to fully realize its potential on the ground.

• The Lancet published an Editoral commenting on the role of the UN in the possibility of missing an opportunity to influence global health policy, and the post-2015 development framework.

• The American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, and American Diabetes Association have released a joint statement, recalling the importance of the HLM and noting the work ahead.