In September, the United Nations will hold a summit on non-communicable diseases which includes cancers, cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes in New York. The United Nations Summit on non-communicable diseases is the second of its kind to focus on a global disease issue. The first UN Summit related to health was the HIV/AIDS meeting in 2001 which led to the creation of the Global Fund.
Why is this summit important?
The UN Summit is the biggest and best opportunity to put non-communicable diseases on the global agenda. It has the potential to secure commitment from Heads of Government for a coordinated global response , substantially increase financial resources for non-communicable diseases and save millions from premature death and debilitating health complications. It also has the potential to lead to measurable targets and commitments from governments to take action on non-communicable diseases for which they can be monitored and held accountable through regular reporting.
What do we expect that the outcome of this Summit will be?
United Nation Summits often conclude with agreement by UN members to take a series of actions to address a particular global problem. These can take the form of Chairs Statements, Declarations or Outcomes Documents. For the United Nations Summit in September 2011, UN member states have committed to agreeing to an action orientated outcomes document (the strongest possible agreement) which will include national and global targets on global non-communicable diseases that Governments will commit to achieving. An outcomes document can be a powerful global political tool that produces significant progress on the issues under consideration, as demonstrated by past outcomes documents on HIV/AIDS and other development priorities.
How can you help?
Become involved with one of the UN Summit Partner Groups (listed below). To contact the UN Summit point of contacts for any of these groups please email: info@ncdalliance.org
American Cancer Society
www.cancer.org
American Heart Association
www.americanheart.org
Framework Convention Alliance
www.fctc.org
Global Health Council
www.globalhealth.org
International Diabetes Federation
www.idf.org
LIVESTRONG
www.livestrong.org
(LIVESTRONG is one of the organizations that my family and I are involved in; to let your voice be heard through this group you can click here: LIVESTRONG.org/SignOn to add your name to a letter that will be hand delivered to the UN Secretary General and key Heads of State.)
Norwegian Cancer Society
www.kreftforeningen.no/english
The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease
www.theunion.org
Union for International Cancer Control
www.uicc.org
World Heart Federation
www.worldheart.org
World Lung Foundation
www.worldlungfoundation.org/
Where can I find out more information or ongoing updates on non-communicable diseases (NCDs)?
The NCD Alliance website provides the latest news, resources and information on the global campaign for non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
I’ve already made my voice heard by submitting my name (which took 2 seconds) at the Livestrong website. Make your voice heard, whether it’s for cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, etc… contact the organization above that’s most relevant to your family and find out how.
If you need one last reason to take action: According to the NDC Alliance website non-communicable diseases will increase by 17% in the next ten years.
