PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release

21 May 2024, Geneva - The Global Week for Action on NCDs, an annual initiative led by the Noncommunicable Diseases Alliance (NCDA), is set to launch its 2024-2025 campaign on Tuesday 21 May. This year's Leadership theme underscores the urgent need for global leaders to take bold action in addressing the burden of NCDs. The campaign is joined by advocates and supporters from all sectors of society every year to help amplify the message that we can create a fairer and healthier world by implementing evidence-based solutions for tackling NCDs.

“Each year the Global Week for Action on NCDs campaign is testament of a mobilised and strong civil society calling for urgent action. We have the commitments and the solutions to create a healthier world for all. This is a crucial moment for governments and decision-makers to turn intent into action. It’s time to lead on reducing the NCD burden globally,”
said Dr Monika Arora, President of the NCD Alliance.

At least a quarter of the worlds population - 1.7 billion people - lives with one or more NCD such as cancer, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, and heart disease. 41 million people die every year due to an NCD, accounting for 74% of all deaths worldwide. Annual deaths from NCDs are projected to rise to 52 million by 2030 if this trend is not reversed.

Along with alarming mortality trends, the sheer scale and prevalence of these chronic conditions and their modifiable risk factors represents a public health emergency. Progress on reducing the risk factors which are largely preventable has been inadequate, with the rates of decline of tobacco use, physical inactivity, unhealthy diets and alcohol insufficient to meet the global targets. As a result, the numbers of people living with NCDs worldwide are staggering:

• 1.3 billion people living with hypertension
• 537 million - diabetes
• 18 million - cancer
• 800 million - obesity, and a billion more at risk of developing overweight or obesity, and
• 970 million people living with a mental disorder

to name just a few.

These numbers are likely to be just the tip of the iceberg due to low diagnosis rates in many countries.

The launch event will see the unveiling of the campaign's dedicated website, actonncds.org, as the central hub for resources and information. Under the banner of Time to lead, the campaign is calling on leaders worldwide to step forward and champion efforts to reduce the impact of NCDs on communities. Key campaign activities include podcast episodes featuring expert insights, and blogs authored by NCDA members, partners, and individuals living with NCDs, all aimed at fostering dialogue and driving change.

The 2024 Global Week for Action will run 15-22 October, coinciding with the Global NCD Alliance Forum in Kigali, Rwanda (20-22 October). NCDA welcomes the engagement of leaders both within and beyond the NCD community to lend their voices to this crucial campaign.

For more information, contact:  

Michael Kessler
NCD Alliance Media Relations  
Mobile: +34 655 792 699  
Email: [email protected]

About the NCD Alliance

The NCD Alliance (NCDA) is a registered non-governmental organisation (NGO) based in Geneva, Switzerland, dedicated to supporting a world free from preventable suffering, disability and death caused by noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Founded in 2009, NCDA brings together a unique network of over 400 members in more than 60 countries into a respected, united and credible global civil society movement. The movement is unified by the cross-cutting nature of common risk factors including unhealthy diets, alcohol, tobacco, air pollution and physical inactivity, and the system solutions for chronic NCDs such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic lung disease, diabetes, mental health and neurological disorders.