The NCD Alliance (NCDA) has come a long way since it was formed in 2009, uniquely positioning itself in the response to NCDs through the core functions of global advocacy, accountability, capacity development and knowledge exchange. 

This World Health Assembly will mark an important step forward for NCDA as an organisation, as we evolve from being an informal alliance to being a standalone NGO registered in Switzerland with a President, Board and consolidated membership base. 
 

"Whilst this transition will not change the operations and strategic priorities of NCDA, it signals a new era and has important governance implications. For example, NCDA will move to a membership model, opening up new opportunities for our network to become more formally and actively engaged in NCDA, as both members and Board Members", said José Luis Castro, Chair of the NCD Alliance and elected as its first President. "I am honoured to have been elected the first President of NCDA, and look forward to working with the new Board and our network".  

"Above all, these changes are geared to make NCDA more inclusive, strengthen its sustainability, and harness members’ and partners’ strengths and activities. They will only serve to enrich the work of NCDA and consolidate our ability to deliver on our strategic goals of 2020",  said José Luis Castro. "The changes also signal our long-term intention to position NCDA as an active and respected player on the global health and development stage. We remain committed as ever to continue to fight for a world free from preventable suffering, disability and death from NCDs".

Our member organisations will meet in a General Assembly every two years, the first of which will take place on the side lines of WHA on the 22nd of May. Furthermore, a Board of 13 directors, elected by the General Assembly, will act as the executive body of NCDA. 

As part of this evolution, we are pleased to announce the first NCDA Board for the period 2017-2019. We received an overwhelming number of applications, and following extensive review and discussion, we have selected an outstanding group of individuals from a range of backgrounds, areas of expertise across the NCD field, and geographies to lead NCDA through this transition.

• Jose Luis Castro, The International Union Against TB and Lung Disease (President) 
• Tezer Kutluk, Immediate Past President, Union for International Cancer Control 
• Luis Gardete-Correia, Vice President, International Diabetes Federation 
• Jean-Luc Eisele, CEO, World Heart Federation 
• Ehsan Latif, Senior Advisor NCDs, The International Union Against TB and Lung Disease 
• George Alleyne, Director Emeritus, PAHO 
• Paola Barbarino, CEO, Alzheimer’s Disease International 
• Deborah Chen, Executive Director, Heart Foundation of Jamaica 
• Todd Harper, CEO, Cancer Council Victoria 
• Paula Johns, Executive Director, ACT+ Brazil 
• Gerald Yonga, Chair, East Africa NCD Alliance
• Mahendra Arunashanthi Wijesuriya, Executive Director, NCD Alliance Lanka 
• Ibtihal Fadhil, Adviser, EMRO NCD Alliance 

The profiles of all the new Board Members can be found here, and further information will be available on our website after the inaugural General Assembly. The formal election of the first board will take place at the NCDA General Assembly on 22nd of May 2017 in Geneva during WHA.