NCD Alliance and 300 organisations a​nd experts call on world leaders to take action

Thursday, 27 September 2018 (New York, U.S.) - The NCD Alliance today released a joint statement supported by nearly 300 organisations, people living with NCDs and experts calling on world leaders to go above and beyond the vague and weak commitments contained in the ​Political Declaration of the third United Nations High-Level Meeting on Noncommunicable Diseases (UN HLM on NCDs), being held today in New York.

“This is a do-or-die moment: the lives and well-being of so many millions of people are at stake here,” said Katie Dain, CEO of the NCD Alliance. “The Political Declaration adopted today is in a sick and sorry state and fails to be anywhere near ambitious enough to effectively tackle the global NCD epidemic.”

NCDs kill nearly 41 million people a year, making up 7 out of 10 deaths globally. Seventeen million of these deaths are classed as premature (i.e. before the age of 70).

More than half of all countries are not on track to achieve a UN target to reduce by one-third the rate of premature deaths from NCDs by 2030.

“The alarm bells are ringing loudly, and governments that continue with business as usual will have blood on their hands, “ concluded Dain.

ENDS

Further Information:

Michael Kessler (In NYC)

Michael Kessler Media 

Cell: +1 917 214 7280

Email: [email protected]

About NCDA

The NCD Alliance is a unique civil society network, uniting 2,000 organisations in more than 170 countries, dedicated to improving NCD prevention and control worldwide. Together with strategic partners, including the WHO, the United Nations (UN) and governments, the NCD Alliance works on a global, regional and national level to bring a united civil society voice to the global campaign on NCDs.