On 12 January 2022, the UK Working Group on Non-communicable Diseases launched a report on Non-communicable Diseases and UK Aid in the Era of COVID-19, commissioned from two consultants with lived experience of NCDs – Dr Zipporah Ali and Dr Helena Davies – who present their thoughts on the project in this guest blog.

This blog marks the culmination of a six-month project looking at the place of NCDs within overseas development assistance in the UK, in the context both of recent cuts to the aid budget and of COVID-19. People with lived experience of NCDs have been at its heart: a report was commissioned from consultants who themselves are people living with NCDs and the event at which the report was launched was moderated and led by people with lived experience – an opportunity for UK government colleagues to hear different (and vitally important) voices.