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 have launched a second series, Facing Forward produced by BBC StoryWorks. 

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) account 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.

It is estimated that 1.7 billion people, comprising 22% of the global population, live with at least one NCD, also called 'underlying condition', that puts them at increased risk of severe COVID-19 if infected.* 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. NCDs cripple health systems, reduce human capital, undermine economic development and threaten global security. 

COVID-19 is fundamentally redefining the world we live in. People living with NCDs have been at the epicentre of the virus since its beginning, experiencing disproportionately severe outcomes such as hospitalisation, complications and death, and this is coupled with severe disruptions to NCD services around the world. The Facing Forward series highlight the power of community action, resilience and agency, by shining a spotlight on the change agents who are making a difference in the fight against NCDs,” said Katie Dain, CEO of the NCD Alliance.

Facing Forward: Real people. Real Stories. Discover NCDs.

*The Lancet: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(20)30264-3/fulltext#articleInformation. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(20)30264-3