The UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) adopted a new resolution on 2 June broadening the scope of work of the UN Inter-Agency Task Force on NCDs (UNIATF) to reflect the NCD-related targets of the SDGs in their work. 

Last week, the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) reviewed a report on the work of the UN Inter-Agency Task Force on NCDs (UNIATF) and adopted a resolution broadening the scope of the UNIATF’s work to include NCD-related targets in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Task Force, which was established in 2013 by the UN Secretary-General, supports country efforts to integrate NCD policies into development frameworks (UNDAFs), and to help governments meet high-level commitments on the prevention and control of NCDs. 

The recent resolution highlights the need for an integrated, coordinated approach to implementation of the SDGs, particularly those targets related to NCDs and health. Many of the determinants of health lie outside Goal 3 on health, and the report recognises this, highlighting the importance of cooperation between UN system organisations. 

Given the broadening of work for the UNIATF, ensuring adequate resources is a primary concern to secure the continued work of the Task Force. Availability of resources remains the limiting factor for the Task Force and UN system to increase its support to countries on the prevention and control of NCD. Financing the NCD response has remained the Achilles heel of the NCD movement.

The WHO Global Coordination Mechanism on the Prevention and Control of NCDs (GCM/NCDs) Working Group on how to realise governments’ commitment to provide financing for NCDs recently released a report with five key recommendations for governments to scale up resources for NCDs. 

This resolution also relates to the recently adopted resolution on Health in the 2030 Agenda at the 69^th World Health Assembly, which requests WHO to maximise the impact of its contributions at all levels towards the achievement of the 2030 Agenda, and to report on progress at least every two years. Implementation of the NCD-related targets of the SDGs into UNDAFs via the Task Force’s in-country work will feed directly into reporting on progress towards these targets at WHA. 

Reporting that takes place on health-related targets at WHA will feed into the broader, global process of follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda in July during the annual High-Level Political Forum (HLPF). The HLPF is the central platform for progress towards achieving the SDGs, and is a forum for countries to present voluntary reviews of progress on the SDGs, as mandated by the 2030 Agenda.

The modalities for the HLPF are currently being finalised, but Member States have agreed that a subset of goals will be reviewed each year to fit an overarching theme; Goal 3 on health is to be reviewed in 2017. Due to the crosscutting nature of the SDGs, we expect health to be discussed every year, as many of the determinants of health and risk factors for NCDs lie outside Goal 3. 

The HLPF provides an opportunity for the NCD community to ensure that NCDs are an integral part of Member States’ voluntary reviews, and is an important venue for highlighting how integrated interventions, spanning many goals and targets, can result in progress towards achieving the NCD-related targets.