Description

This briefing note provides an overview of the NCD Alliance’s main advocacy priorities and key messages for the 73rd WHO AFRO Regional Committee Meeting (AFRO RCM73), taking place on August 28-September 1, 2023.

The NCD community welcomes the opportunity to review strategies and progress reports at the RCM73 and commends Member States for their commitment to the prevention and control of NCDs. As the African Region continues to battle a double burden of noncommunicable and communicable diseases, prioritizing NCDs and related agenda items supports much needed evidence-sharing and knowledge exchange and efforts to achieve both the regional and global commitments on NCDs.

Overall, we strongly recommend that WHO Member States use this RCM to strengthen the proposed strategies and commit to ambitious targets. We are now just two years away from the next UN HLM on NCDs, and need concerted action at all levels, if global NCD targets are to be met by 2025 and 2030. We call on African Heads of State and Government to engage at the UN HLM on Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in September and act to meet the needs of people living with NCDs in their UHC health benefits packages.

To read more detailed analysis and advocacy messages, please download the document.