NCD Alliance

September 2014 marks the third global World Alzheimer’s Month, an international campaign to raise awareness and challenge stigma.

Alzheimer associations around the world will focus their campaigns on advocacy and awareness with information provision, Memory Walks, media appearances and free memory screenings taking place across the globe.

On 1 September 2014, nominations opened for the 2014-15 cohort of Emerging Leaders. Candidates may be nominated by a World Heart Federation member organization, or submit an application directly themselves.

Each year’s group works around a theme set by the World Heart Federation, which focuses on a key CVD priority area. The theme for 2014-15 will be ‘raised blood pressure’.

The Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States concluded yesterday in Apia, Samoa. The NCD Alliance was represented by Ms Annabel Lyman, who made two statements on behalf of the NCD Alliance; one at the Side Event on Health and Non-communicable Diseases, and one at the Multi-stakeholder official partnership dialogue on Social development in Small Island Developing States, health and non-communicable diseases, youth and women.

With World Spirometry Day to be launched on 5 September in Munich, Germany, and World COPD Day taking place on 19 November, the EU COPD Coalition has produced a number of videos to help to raise awareness on Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Click the links below to view the videos.

Healthy Lungs for Life is one of the largest ever lung health campaigns, raising awareness of the importance of healthy lungs to healthcare professionals, scientists, primary care, patients, policy makers and the public through a full range of events, projects and promotional activities.

A recent survey carried out by the Alliance for Tobacco Control (ACT+) has revealed vast support for national policies to reduce alcohol abuse and unhealthy food consumption, following the model of tobacco control measures in place.

“85% of people surveyed supports national regulations and think that advertising of cigarettes, alcoholic beverages and high-fat foods is a way for manufacturers to increase consumption and sale of these products”, highlights ACT+.

Helen Clark: Speech at Side event on NCDs, Health and Development at UN Conference on Small Island Developing States 

UN Administrator Helen Clark addressed SIDS delegates at a side event on NCDs highlighting the developmental drivers of the NCD epidemic in Small Island Development States (SIDS). 

On 12 August 2014, the McCabe Centre for Law and Cancer and Melbourne Law School launched the book Regulating Tobacco, Alcohol and Unhealthy Foods: The Legal Issues. The book describes some of the legal implications surrounding the regulation of risk factors for NCDs. 

More information

In preparation for World Heart Day, the World heart Federation is implementing a social media campaign engaging individuals across the world. An online global petition has been launched which calls on national and international leaders to recognize the global burden of CVD and to prioritize the need for heart healthy environments.

The 45th Summit of the Pacific Islands Forum in Palau from concluded on 1st August. During this summit a Forum Communiqué was adopted, with very positive implications for the NCD Response in the Pacific Region, and a key milestone in a longer term developing recognition of NCDs in the Region.

Leaders committed to support the Pacific Partnership for a Multi-sector Approach to Prevent and Control NCDs to be launched at the Third Conference on Small Island Developing States in Samoa in September.