Global progress on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) has been limited and too slow. But change is possible, and this is an opportunity for the UK to lead. It is time to take action!
This new briefing from the UK Working Group sets out why.
In the UK, the next 12 months promise to be crucial in raising the profile of NCDs* as a core part of our international development and global health commitments, for two main reasons.
1) At the time of writing (September 2024), there is almost exactly one year to go before the UN holds the Fourth High-level Meeting (UN HLM) of the United Nations General Assembly on the Prevention and Control of NCDs. This is an important milestone, as the 2030 deadline for achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is coming up in 2030: this is a chance to hold governments to account and to reset the agenda (and update 2025 targets and ambitions), based on the changing global landscape. Since 2015, progress has stagnated and only a handful of the 191 UN Member States appear likely to achieve SDG 3.4, to reduce premature mortality from NCDs by one third, by 2030.
2) The UK has a new government. Traditionally, our country had a reputation for playing a strong part in international development and global health issues. Today, budgets may be squeezed, but health matters more than ever – and there are many inexpensive, evidence-based steps that can be taken to address the epidemic of NCDs that affect people of all ages, in all countries – in particular low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs) and the poor who are hardest hit.
Change is possible
At the UK Working Group on NCDs, we understand that many new Members of Parliament and others in government will be unaware of the toll of NCDs in LMICs, and of the impact that could be made on millions of lives by implementing cost-effective interventions. A World Health Organization assessment in 76 LMICs suggests that investing less than US$1 per person per year in the Best Buy NCD interventions could save 7 million lives by 2030 and have economic and social benefits of over US$230 billion in these countries. The funding gap for NCDs is shocking: just 2% of overseas development assistance for health worldwide goes towards NCDs, even though they are the leading cause of death in almost every country.
We have developed a short document making the case for UK government action on NCDs. We are calling on the government – particularly the Department of Health and Social Care and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office – to take immediate action on three fronts:
- Prioritise preparation for the UN High-level Meeting to ensure greater global leadership on NCDs and fund cost-effective interventions. (The UK has an excellent precedent for involvement: the UK’s health minister chaired a roundtable at the very first High-level Meeting on NCDs in 2011.)
- Allocate specific funding as part of the UK’s global health objectives to ensure greater investment in NCD prevention and management.
- Ensure the meaningful involvement of civil society and people with lived experience in health programming in low- and middle-income countries, to ensure that their needs are fully met.
The UN HLM will bring together ministers of health and heads of state and government, as well as civil society. It is gearing up to be a major rallying point for advocacy, sharing of national and lived experiences, and renewed political commitment. It is a crucial opportunity for the new Labour government to demonstrate its understanding of global health needs on the global stage, focusing on achieving sustainable development across its term of office.
Please do circulate the briefing as widely as you can. We are all aware – through our own experience and that of our families and friends – of the impact of NCDs on people of all ages, and any support or mention of the UN HLM that you feel you can give in the coming months would be greatly appreciated.
Learn more
- Read more about the WHO preparatory process for the UN HLM in 2025, and the various milestones (past and present).
- Learn more and show your support for the 2024 Global Week for Action on NCDs, taking place from 15 to 22 October 2024 on the theme ‘Time to Lead’.
* NCDs such as cancers, diabetes, mental health conditions and many others, are the main cause of death and disability worldwide. They account for around three-quarters of all deaths and more than three out of four years lived with a disability.
UK Working Group on NCDs 