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Overweight and obesity, risk factors for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, stroke, and certain forms of cancer, are responsible for a significant portion of the global burden of chronic disease.

27 January 2011 – With non-communicable diseases such as cancer, stroke and heart disease accounting for 60 per cent of all deaths, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on the world's businesses leaders to help curb the risk factors behind a scourge that is expected to increase by half in developing countries by 2030.

The Non-Communicable Diseases Alliance (NCD Alliance) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Téa Collins as Executive Director, effective 1 January 2011. Based in Geneva, Switzerland, Dr Collins will guide the Alliance in its mission to put non-communicable diseases on the global health agenda and improve the lives of people living with NCDs. Dr Collins’ appointment comes at an opportune time, in light of the UN Summit on NCDs to be held in September in New York.

On 23rd December 2010, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted a UN Modalities Resolution outlining the length, details and agenda of the UN Summit on Non- Communicable Diseases (NCDs), which will take place on 19–20th September 2011 in New York. 

Brussels, Belgium 06 December 2010 NCDs cause 60% of all global deaths, but receive just 2.3% of international development assistance for health. 80% of deaths caused by NCDs occur in developing countries. Yet, the international community displays no sense of urgency or outrage about NCDs, the silent killer that is threatening development and economic progress.

In a comment linked to the newly launched Lancet 3rd Series on Chronic Diseases and Development, federations representing the four priority chronic diseases (cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, and diabetes) say that "If governments and aid agencies continue to ignore this threat, we will sleepwalk into a future in which healthy people will be in a minority, obese and unhealthy children die before their parents, and economic development and already vulnerable health systems are overwhelmed.

Olavarría: Tobacco Free City, a city-run tobacco advocacy, education, and support program, was presented with the globally-recognized Louise Lown Heart Hero Award from ProCor. Olavarría, a city of 120,000 people 350km south of Buenos Aires, faces an uphill battle in its fight against tobacco: Argentina has the second highest smoking prevalence in all of Central and South America. According to local health data, one-third of adults in Olavarría use tobacco and almost half of the mortality rate is attributed to chronic diseases such as hypertension, stroke, and cancer.

On the 1st of November, the Center for Global Development issued a working paper called ‘Where Have All the Donors Gone?: Scarce Funding for Chronic Diseases’ by Rachel Nugent and Andrea Feigl, shedding light on the current funding situation for non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Although providing a glimmer of hope by showing that funding is on the rise, the report shows that funding for NCDs is worryingly low.

A major donation to the NCD Alliance in the lead-up to the United Nations Summit on Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) was announced today in the form of a USD$1 million grant by the Medtronic Foundation. The financial commitment was announced at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) in New York as part of an overall strategic effort to reduce the burden of NCDs.

In less than one year’s time, a momentous opportunity will present itself to put non-communicable diseases (NCDs) on the global health and development agenda. The UN High Level Summit on Non-Communicable Diseases in September 2011 is a global platform from which the world can be moved from rhetoric to action.