WHA week opens with call to turn NCD targets into measurable action
As the 79th World Health Assembly week opened in Geneva, NCD Alliance and the World Heart Federation convened leaders from WHO, civil society and communities to call for stronger accountability in translating new global targets on noncommunicable diseases into measurable national action.
The session, Turning political commitments into measurable action: Advancing the new global targets on NCDs, closed the 11th World Heart Summit and marked NCD Alliance’s first in-person event of WHA week.
Speakers focused on how governments can move from the 2025 Political Declaration on NCDs to implementation, with particular attention to adequate and sustained financing, accountability, tobacco control, hypertension care, and the role of people living with NCDs.
“Leadership is measured by implementation, not promises. The global NCD response has moved from commitments to delivery. Real leadership now means funded national plans, measurable action, and equitable progress in prevention, treatment and care,” remarked NCD Alliance President Leslie Rae Ferat during the discussions.
What’s needed for meaningful implementation?
Moderated by journalist Shiulie Ghosh, the first part of the discussion focused on what implementation of the Political Declaration should look like in practice.
Hyvelle Ferguson Davis, Founder of HeartSistas, said policymakers must better understand the day-to-day realities of living with NCDs, particularly for people in vulnerable communities who face misdiagnosis and delayed care.
“Science is there, technology is there, but there is such a gap. There’s so much lack of communication and understanding that leaves people vulnerable,” she said.
Dr Bente Mikkelsen, Director of Global Engagement Strategies at St Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Chair of the Advocacy Committee at the World Heart Federation, said countries already know many of the cost-effective interventions needed to improve hypertension care, but must now invest in delivering them at scale.
“This is not a cost question. This is an investment question,” she said.
Leslie Rae Ferat welcomed the target of reducing tobacco use among 150 million people by 2030, while stressing that it should be treated as a floor, not a ceiling.
She highlighted the urgent need to protect young people and future generations from tobacco, e-cigarettes and nicotine addiction, and pointed to proven measures under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, including advertising bans, smoke-free environments, strong health warnings, plain packaging, cessation support and protection from tobacco industry interference.
“Ultimately, tobacco control remains one of the most cost-effective ways to prevent NCDs and save lives,” said Ferat.
Dr Mohamed Janabi, WHO Regional Director for Africa, addressed the challenge of integrating new NCD targets into health systems already managing a high burden of infectious diseases and other pressures.
“Targets don’t save lives, implementation does,” he said.
Speaking about the importance of building long-term national capacity, he said:
“Transfer skills. Do not go there, make operations and then leave. Do not give them tuna, give them the fishing boat.”
Financing and accountability are key to closing the implementation gap
The second part of the panel focused on how to turn commitments into funded national action, with speakers stressing that the Political Declaration’s targets will only be meaningful if they are backed by financing, national plans, monitoring frameworks and transparent reporting.
Dr Bente Mikkelsen said stronger accountability should not only track where progress is falling short, but also help countries identify, share and scale what is working.
“Nothing is more powerful than success. We need in this community also to celebrate,” she said
Speakers also highlighted the need for accountability approaches that are realistic for low- and middle-income countries, where surveillance and monitoring systems are often under-resourced, and that meaningfully include people living with NCDs.
Ferat said integrated, people-centred care must be at the centre of the next phase of the NCD response, requiring a shift from hospital-centred care to primary health care-led systems, from out-of-pocket costs to universal health coverage, and from top-down leadership to meaningful community engagement.
Speakers stressed that accountability will depend on clear reporting and meaningful engagement of civil society, including people with lived experience.
As WHA week begins, NCD Alliance is calling for governments and partners to back the new global NCD targets with adequate and sustained financing, clear national implementation plans, and meaningful engagement of civil society and communities.
Without this shift, global commitments risk falling short of delivering measurable change for people living with NCDs.
Speakers
- Shiulie Ghosh, Journalist and moderator
- Leslie Rae Ferat, Executive Director, Global Alliance for Tobacco Control, and President, NCD Alliance
- Dr Bente Mikkelsen, Director of Global Engagement Strategies at St Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Chair of the Advocacy Committee, World Heart Federation
- Hyvelle Ferguson Davis, Founder, HeartSistas
- Dr Mohamed Janabi, Regional Director, WHO AFRO
