Strategies for a sustainable NCD and mental health response: 5th Multistakeholder Gathering

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), including mental health and neurological conditions, remain the leading cause of death globally, responsible for 43 million deaths in 2021, equivalent to 75% of all non-pandemic-related deaths worldwide. In the same year, 18 million people died from an NCD before the age of 70, with 82% of these premature deaths occurring in low- and lower-middle-income countries.

The 2025 Political declaration of the fourth high-level meeting of the General Assembly on the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases and the promotion of mental health and well-being reaffirms the urgent need to accelerate action on NCDs and strengthen whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches, aligned with national priorities and sustainable development commitments.

Strong country leadership is essential to strengthen NCD responses at national and global levels. This includes securing sustainable domestic financing and fostering meaningful collaboration across government sectors and stakeholders.

Civil society and people with lived experience of NCDs bring valuable insights and expertise that can help ensure health policies and programmes are more equitable and effective. Philanthropic and private sector partners also have an important role to play in reducing fragmented, vertical funding and investing in catalytic initiatives that can drive inclusive policies and support the transition towards sustainable domestic financing.

The 5th Multistakeholder Gathering, to be held on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA81), will provide a platform to advance dialogue on how strategic philanthropic funding can better align with government priorities amid major systemic changes. Discussions will also explore which approaches to multisectoral governance and multistakeholder collaboration have shown the most promise in delivering effective and equitable NCD responses.

The event is organised by NCD Alliance and co-sponsored by the World Health Organisation through the Global Coordination Mechanism on NCDs (GCM/NCD).

NCD Alliance acknowledges the financial support of the Novo Nordisk Foundation to facilitate the logistics of this event.