Twenty-five members of the UN NCD Task Force
came together between 7-9 March 2024 to start preparations for a successful UN
General Assembly high-level meeting NCDs in September 2025.
Members discussed effective ways of supporting
Member States deliver powerful outcomes at the 2025 General Assembly if the
world is to meeting in the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. As part of
this, the Task Force reviewed key preparatory events for the high-level meeting
including the Bridgetown Declaration agreed at last year’s meeting on NCDs in
Small Island Developing States, the recent high-level technical meeting in
Copenhagen on NCDs in humanitarian settings, and the second global dialogue on
sustainable financing for NCDs and mental health to be held in Washington DC in
June 2024 to be hosted by WHO and the World Bank.
Progress on a number of Task Force-led programs
and workstreams, including the Health4Life Fund were discussed. In addition, a
range of emerging areas of work were highlighted: NCDs and assistive
technology, NCDs in urban settings, and sensory disabilities.
A special session on how Task Force members
could scale up their individual and collective action to support Member States
implement the WHO Global Alcohol Action Plan, 2022-2030.
Members also discussed the arrangements for the
independent joint evaluation of the Task Force that will take place in 2024.
Task Force members welcomed the new Task Force
website and plans to establish a network of Task Force Award winners to
share experiences and provide mentorship to others working to tackle NCDs and
mental health conditions.
This was
the twenty-second meeting of the Task Force and was held in Geneva. It was
co-hosted by UNAIDS and WHO. A summary report will shortly be made available on
the Task Force website.