The Global Coalition for Circulatory Health has been launched this week to drive urgent action on cardiovascular disease, and in preparation for the third UN High-level Meeting on Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) in 2018.

Led by the World Heart Federation (WHF), the coalition assembles international, regional and national stakeholders in cardiovascular diseases (CVD) to advocate for increased prevention, control and treatment of all circulatory diseases.

“CVD, including heart disease and stroke, is the leading cause of mortality worldwide with more than 75% of these deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries,” said WHF President and cardiologist, Professor David Wood.

“Yet this huge burden is not being addressed with the priority required to achieve the target 25% reduction in premature mortality from NCDs by 2025 (25by25),” he added.

Objectives of the coalition include to:

• Achieve the global target of a 25% reduction by 2025 in premature mortality from heart disease and stroke, as an essential component to the 25by25 NCD target and a key milestone to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 3.4: a one-third reduction in premature NCD deaths by 2030
• Unite the diverse voices of the circulatory health community to become more powerful advocates to policy makers and politicians
• Align all organizations to support the WHO Global Hearts Initiative to improve the prevention, control and treatment of heart disease and stroke through primary health care
• Promote common international messaging by partnering organizations and leveraging their extensive networks to cascade messages to regional and national levels

Read the full announcement