NCD Alliance

20 December ׀ 2011 Geneva -- In response to paragraphs 61 and 62 of the Political Declaration of the General Assembly on the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases (resolution 66/2), WHO has developed a discussion paper outlining a comprehensive global monitoring framework and the technical background for developing a set of voluntary global targets for the prevention and control of NCDs, for consideration by Member States.

BRASILIA — President Dilma Rousseff on Thursday signed a law banning smoking in all enclosed public spaces in Brazil.

The new text will make Brazil, which has a population of more than 191 million, the largest country in the world to go smoke-free.

It amends a 1996 law which allowed smoking in specially designated, ventilated areas.

New norms must be regulated by Congress to set the values of fines that will punish violators, the official Agencia Brasil said.

AMMAN - Jordan is committed to implementing the National Strategy for Prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD), as immediate action is required to create public awareness about NCDs, a Ministry of Health official said on Tuesday.

Tobacco giant Philip Morris is suing the Australian government over a new law making plain packaging mandatory for cigarettes from December 2012.

WASHINGTON, November 17, 2011 Heart disease, cancer, strokes, obesity, diabetes, and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of death in the Caribbean and represent a rapidly increasing share of total health expenditure for countries in the region, says the World Bank.

Non-Communicable Diseases are a serious threat to the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals and are robbing society's funds that could be devoted to social and economic development, Vice-President John Landa Nkomo has said.

During last week's JSCO 2012 Annual Meeting, the 8th Asia Cancer Forum adopted a Declaration outlining its commitments to address cancer, in line with the recently adopted UN Political Declaration on NCDs. The Declaration was adopted at the 49th Annual Meeting of the Japan Society of Clinical Oncology which took place from 27 - 29 October 2011 under the theme: “Toward the goal: Finding the best way and Taking the first step”.

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are threatening millions of lives unless major policy changes take effect, according to experts speaking at a press conference held in Lille, France as part of the 42nd Union World Conference on Lung Health.

Today is World Stroke Day. There are 15 million people who have a stroke each year. Every other second, an adult or a child, a man or a woman, old or young, suffers a stroke.

The NCD Alliance applauds the World Health Organization for convening the World Conference on Social Determinants of Health, coming to an end today in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The NCD Alliance congratulates the Government of Brazil for hosting the conference and for providing global leadership on the social determinants of health; and welcomes the adoption of the Rio Declaration as an important and comprehensive set of global commitments.