About

After the outstanding performance of the Turning the Tide series, reaching 128.5 million impressions across BBC.com audiences from February 2020 to February 2021, the NCD Alliance and partners are now launching a second series, Facing Forward produced by BBC StoryWorks. This second series will continue to raise awareness of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and highlight the stories of people who are living with NCDs across the globe, as well as those of the communities, institutions and private sector who are leading the way to prevent and control NCDs.

NCDs, including illnesses such as hypertension, diabetes, cancer, mental health conditions and cardiovascular disease, kill around 41 million people every year, accounting for over 70% of all deaths worldwide and causing half of all global disability. The deaths from NCDs are projected to escalate to 52 million - 75% of all deaths - in 2030. Almost a quarter of all people currently live with at least one NCD, and the number of those living with more than one NCD has steadily increased over the past 20 years to become the new normal in many parts of the world. Although the burden is universal, low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are hit the hardest, with over three-quarters of all NCD deaths occurring in these countries. LMICs are also home to over three-quarters of people under 40 who make up the world’s poorest billion. NCDs cripple health systems, reduce human capital, undermine economic development and threaten global security.

Facing Forward is a series of 25 short films and 10 articles from Lebanon, Ghana, Guinea, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Kenya, Thailand and the Pacific Islands, amongst other countries.

The NCD Alliance encourage you to share this series and join the conversation using the hashtags #FacingForward #NCDs.

The NCD Alliance (NCDA) is a unique civil society network dedicated to improving NCD prevention and control worldwide. Together with strategic partners, including WHO, the UN and governments, NCDA is transforming the global fight against NCDs. It uses targeted advocacy and outreach to ensure that NCDs are recognised as a major cause of poverty, a barrier to economic development, and a global emergency requiring an urgent response. This is done by working with a wide range of organisations, speaking with a united voice at international meetings, mobilising its growing network, producing the latest policy work on NCDs and building the evidence base, convening expert working groups on a range of topics, and pressing governments to recognise that NCDs are a global development priority.

The NCD Alliance was founded by four international NGO federations representing the four main NCDs – cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and chronic respiratory disease. Together with other major international NGO partners, NCD Alliance today unites a network of over 2,000 civil society organisations in more than 170 countries.

BBC StoryWorks is a creative studio with newsroom values, bringing together boldness and innovation with agility and timeliness. It embodies the BBC’s spark and rigorous editorial quality to create video productions that connect with audiences through beautifully crafted storytelling. Its team use award-winning expertise in video production, writing and journalism to offer a deeper and more personal perspective on key issues than traditional news outlets.

Members and Partners

This project was developed and carried out with the support and collaboration of many partners across public, private and non-profit health and development sectors that share a common interest in improving the lives of people living with NCDs: