Political Declaration of the High-Level Meeting of the General Assembly on the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases

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A document of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, under agenda item 117 Follow-up to the outcome of the Millennium Summit, published in 2012.

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1 entity

Entity	(Sub-)Programme	Title	Total mandates cited	Expenditure
	Subprogramme 6	Research, trend analysis and forensics	19

Historical expenditure covers the complete programme or subprogramme, not this mandate. For an overview of all UN entities and programmes, see UN entities and programmes.

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

1 entity

Entity	(Sub-)Programme	Title	Total mandates cited	Expenditure
	Subprogramme 6	Research, trend analysis and forensics	19	—

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What subjects does this mandate have?

10 subjects

Declarations (Text)Disease Control Disease Prevention Epidemics Health Policy Health Services Research Non-Communicable Diseases Partnership Programme Evaluation Public Health

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1 operative paragraph

Adopts the Political Declaration of the High-level Meeting of the General Assembly on the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases annexed to the present resolution.

Political Declaration of the High-level Meeting of the General Assembly on the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases

We, Heads of State and Government and representatives of States and Governments, assembled at the United Nations on 19 and 20 September 2011, to address the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases worldwide, with a particular focus on developmental and other challenges and social and economic impacts, particularly for developing countries,

Acknowledge that the global burden and threat of non-communicable diseases constitutes one of the major challenges for development in the twenty-first century, which undermines social and economic development throughout the world and threatens the achievement of internationally agreed development goals;

Recognize that non-communicable diseases are a threat to the economies of many Member States and may lead to increasing inequalities between countries and populations;

Recognize the primary role and responsibility of Governments in responding to the challenge of non-communicable diseases and the essential need for the efforts and engagement of all sectors of society to generate effective responses for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases;

Recognize also the important role of the international community and international cooperation in assisting Member States, particularly developing countries, in complementing national efforts to generate an effective response to non-communicable diseases;

Reaffirm the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health;

Recognize the urgent need for greater measures at the global, regional and national levels to prevent and control non-communicable diseases in order to contribute to the full realization of the right of everyone to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health;

Recall the relevant mandates of the General Assembly, in particular resolutions 64/265 of 13 May 2010 and 65/238 of 24 December 2010;

Note with appreciation the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control,² reaffirm all relevant resolutions and decisions adopted by the World Health Assembly on the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases, and underline the importance for Member States to continue addressing common risk factors for non-communicable diseases through the implementation of the World Health Organization 2008–2013 Action Plan for the Global Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases³ as well as the Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health⁴ and the Global Strategy to Reduce the Harmful Use of Alcohol;⁵

²United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 2302, No. 41032.

³Available at http://www.who.int/publications/en/.

⁴World Health Organization, Fifty-seventh World Health Assembly, Geneva, 17–22 May 2004, Resolutions and Decisions, Annexes (WHA57/2004/REC/1), resolution 57.17, annex.

⁵World Health Organization, Sixty-third World Health Assembly, Geneva, 17–21 May 2010, Resolutions and Decisions, Annexes (WHA63/2010/REC/1), annex 3.

Recall the ministerial declaration adopted at the 2009 high-level segment of the Economic and Social Council,⁶ in which a call was made for urgent action to implement the Global Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases and its related Action Plan;

⁶See Official Records of the General Assembly, Sixty-fourth Session, Supplement No. 3 (A/64/3/Rev.1), chap. III, para. 56.

Take note with appreciation of all the regional initiatives undertaken on the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases, including the Declaration of the Heads of State and Government of the Caribbean Community entitled “Uniting to stop the epidemic of chronic non-communicable diseases”, adopted in September 2007, the Libreville Declaration on Health and Environment in Africa, adopted in August 2008, the statement of the Commonwealth Heads of Government on action to combat non-communicable diseases, adopted in November 2009, the declaration of commitment of the Fifth Summit of the Americas, adopted in June 2009, the Parma Declaration on Environment and Health, adopted by the member States in the European region of the World Health Organization in March 2010, the Dubai Declaration on Diabetes and Chronic Non-communicable Diseases in the Middle East and Northern Africa Region, adopted in December 2010, the European Charter on Counteracting Obesity, adopted in November 2006, the Aruba Call for Action on Obesity of June 2011, and the Honiara Communiqué on addressing non-communicable disease challenges in the Pacific region, adopted in July 2011;

Take note with appreciation also of the outcomes of the regional multisectoral consultations, including the adoption of ministerial declarations, which were held by the World Health Organization in collaboration with Member States, with the support and active participation of regional commissions and other relevant United Nations agencies and entities, and served to provide inputs to the preparations for the high-level meeting in accordance with resolution 65/238;

Welcome the convening of the first Global Ministerial Conference on Healthy Lifestyles and Non-communicable Disease Control, which was organized by the Russian Federation and the World Health Organization and held in Moscow on 28 and 29 April 2011, and the adoption of the Moscow Declaration,⁷ and recall resolution 64.11 of the World Health Assembly;⁸

⁷See A/65/859.

⁸See World Health Organization, Sixty-fourth World Health Assembly, Geneva, 16–24 May 2011, Resolutions and Decisions, Annexes (WHA64/2011/REC/1).

Recognize the leading role of the World Health Organization as the primary specialized agency for health, including its roles and functions with regard to health policy in accordance with its mandate, and reaffirm its leadership and coordination role in promoting and monitoring global action against non-communicable diseases in relation to the work of other relevant United Nations agencies, development banks and other regional and international organizations in addressing non-communicable diseases in a coordinated manner;

A challenge of epidemic proportions and its socio-economic and developmental impacts

Note with profound concern that, according to the World Health Organization, in 2008, an estimated 36 million of the 57 million global deaths were due to non-communicable diseases, principally cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes, including about 9 million deaths before the age of 60, and that nearly 80 per cent of those deaths occurred in developing countries;

Note also with profound concern that non-communicable diseases are among the leading causes of preventable morbidity and of related disability;

Recognize further that communicable diseases, maternal and perinatal conditions and nutritional deficiencies are currently the most common causes of death in Africa, and note with concern the growing double burden of disease, including in Africa, caused by the rapidly rising incidence of non-communicable diseases, which are projected to become the most common causes of death by 2030;

Note further that there is a range of other non-communicable diseases and conditions, for which the risk factors and the need for preventive measures, screening, treatment and care are linked with the four most prominent non-communicable diseases;

Recognize that mental and neurological disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease, are an important cause of morbidity and contribute to the global non-communicable disease burden, for which there is a need to provide equitable access to effective programmes and health-care interventions;

Recognize that renal, oral and eye diseases pose a major health burden for many countries and that these diseases share common risk factors and can benefit from common responses to non-communicable diseases;

Recognize that the most prominent non-communicable diseases are linked to common risk factors, namely tobacco use, harmful use of alcohol, an unhealthy diet and lack of physical activity;

Recognize that the conditions in which people live and their lifestyles influence their health and quality of life and that poverty, uneven distribution of wealth, lack of education, rapid urbanization, population ageing and the economic social, gender, political, behavioural and environmental determinants of health are among the contributing factors to the rising incidence and prevalence of non-communicable diseases;

Note with grave concern the vicious cycle whereby non-communicable diseases and their risk factors worsen poverty, while poverty contributes to rising rates of non-communicable diseases, posing a threat to public health and economic and social development;

Note with concern that the rapidly growing magnitude of non-communicable diseases affects people of all ages, gender, race and income levels, and further that poor populations and those living in vulnerable situations, in particular in developing countries, bear a disproportionate burden and that non-communicable diseases can affect women and men differently;

Note with concern the rising levels of obesity in different regions, particularly among children and youth, and note that obesity, an unhealthy diet and physical inactivity have strong linkages with the four main non-communicable diseases and are associated with higher health costs and reduced productivity;

Express deep concern that women bear a disproportionate share of the burden of caregiving and that, in some populations, women tend to be less physically active than men, are more likely to be obese and are taking up smoking at alarming rates;

Note also with concern that maternal and child health is inextricably linked with non-communicable diseases and their risk factors, specifically as prenatal malnutrition and low birth weight create a predisposition to obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes later in life, and that pregnancy conditions, such as maternal obesity and gestational diabetes, are associated with similar risks in both the mother and her offspring;

Note with concern the possible linkages between non-communicable diseases and some communicable diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, call for the integration, as appropriate, of responses to HIV/AIDS and non-communicable diseases, and in this regard call for attention to be given to people living with HIV/AIDS, especially in countries with a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS, in accordance with national priorities;

Recognize that smoke exposure from the use of inefficient cooking stoves for indoor cooking or heating contributes to and may exacerbate lung and respiratory conditions, with a disproportionate effect on women and children in poor populations whose households may be dependant on such fuels;

Acknowledge also the existence of significant inequalities in the burden of non-communicable diseases and in access to non-communicable disease prevention and control, both between countries, and within countries and communities;

Recognize the critical importance of strengthening health systems, including health-care infrastructure, human resources for health, and health and social protection systems, particularly in developing countries, in order to respond effectively and equitably to the health-care needs of people with non-communicable diseases;

Note with grave concern that non-communicable diseases and their risk factors lead to increased burdens on individuals, families and communities, including impoverishment from long-term treatment and care costs, and to a loss of productivity that threatens household income and leads to productivity loss for individuals and their families and to the economies of Member States, making non-communicable diseases a contributing factor to poverty and hunger, which may have a direct impact on the achievement of the internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals;

Express deep concern at the ongoing negative impacts of the financial and economic crisis, volatile energy and food prices and ongoing concerns over food security, as well as the increasing challenges posed by climate change and the loss of biodiversity, and their effect on the control and prevention of non-communicable diseases, and emphasize in this regard the need for prompt and robust, coordinated and multisectoral efforts to address those impacts, while building on efforts already under way;

Responding to the challenge: a whole-of-government and a whole-of-society effort

Recognize that the rising prevalence, morbidity and mortality of non-communicable diseases worldwide can be largely prevented and controlled through collective and multisectoral action by all Member States and other relevant stakeholders at the local, national, regional and global levels, and by raising the priority accorded to non-communicable diseases in development cooperation by enhancing such cooperation in this regard;

Recognize that prevention must be the cornerstone of the global response to non-communicable diseases;

Recognize also the critical importance of reducing the level of exposure of individuals and populations to the common modifiable risk factors for non-communicable diseases, namely, tobacco use, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and the harmful use of alcohol, and their determinants, while at the same time strengthening the capacity of individuals and populations to make healthier choices and follow lifestyle patterns that foster good health;

Recognize that effective non-communicable disease prevention and control require leadership and multisectoral approaches for health at the government level, including, as appropriate, health in all policies and whole-of-government approaches across such sectors as health, education, energy, agriculture, sports, transport, communication, urban planning, environment, labour, employment, industry and trade, finance, and social and economic development;

Acknowledge the contribution of and important role played by all relevant stakeholders, including individuals, families and communities, intergovernmental organizations and religious institutions, civil society, academia, the media, voluntary associations and, where and as appropriate, the private sector and industry, in support of national efforts for non-communicable disease prevention and control, and recognize the need to further support the strengthening of coordination among these stakeholders in order to improve the effectiveness of these efforts;

Recognize the fundamental conflict of interest between the tobacco industry and public health;

Recognize that the incidence and impacts of non-communicable diseases can be largely prevented or reduced with an approach that incorporates evidence-based, affordable, cost-effective, population-wide and multisectoral interventions;

Acknowledge that resources devoted to combating the challenges posed by non-communicable diseases at the national, regional and international levels are not commensurate with the magnitude of the problem;

Recognize the importance of strengthening local, provincial, national and regional capacities to address and effectively combat non-communicable diseases, particularly in developing countries, and that this may entail increased and sustained human, financial and technical resources;

Acknowledge the need to put forward a multisectoral approach for health at all government levels, to address non-communicable disease risk factors and underlying determinants of health comprehensively and decisively;

Non-communicable diseases can be prevented and their impacts significantly reduced, with millions of lives saved and untold suffering avoided. We therefore commit to:

Reduce risk factors and create health-promoting environments

Advance the implementation of multisectoral, cost-effective, population-wide interventions in order to reduce the impact of the common non-communicable disease risk factors, namely tobacco use, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and harmful use of alcohol, through the implementation of relevant international agreements and strategies, and education, legislative, regulatory and fiscal measures, without prejudice to the right of sovereign nations to determine and establish their taxation policies and other policies, where appropriate, by involving all relevant sectors, civil society and communities, as appropriate, and by taking the following actions:

Encourage the development of multisectoral public policies that create equitable health-promoting environments that empower individuals, families and communities to make healthy choices and lead healthy lives;

Develop, strengthen and implement, as appropriate, multisectoral public policies and action plans to promote health education and health literacy, including through evidence-based education and information strategies and programmes in and out of schools and through public awareness campaigns, as important factors in furthering the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases, recognizing that a strong focus on health literacy is at an early stage in many countries;

Accelerate implementation by States parties of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, recognizing the full range of measures, including measures to reduce consumption and availability, and encourage countries that have not yet done so to consider acceding to the Convention, recognizing that substantially reducing tobacco consumption is an important contribution to reducing non-communicable diseases and can have considerable health benefits for individuals and countries and that price and tax measures are an effective and important means of reducing tobacco consumption;

Advance the implementation of the Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health, including, where appropriate, through the introduction of policies and actions aimed at promoting healthy diets and increasing physical activity in the entire population, including in all aspects of daily living, such as giving priority to regular and intense physical education classes in schools, urban planning and re-engineering for active transport, the provision of incentives for work-site healthy-lifestyle programmes, and increased availability of safe environments in public parks and recreational spaces to encourage physical activity;

Promote the implementation of the Global Strategy to Reduce the Harmful Use of Alcohol, while recognizing the need to develop appropriate domestic action plans, in consultation with relevant stakeholders, for developing specific policies and programmes, including taking into account the full range of options as identified in the Global Strategy, as well as raise awareness of the problems caused by the harmful use of alcohol, particularly among young people, and call upon the World Health Organization to intensify efforts to assist Member States in this regard;

Promote the implementation of the World Health Organization Set of Recommendations on the Marketing of Foods and Non-alcoholic Beverages to Children,⁹ including foods that are high in saturated fats, trans-fatty acids, free sugars or salt, recognizing that research shows that food advertising geared to children is extensive, that a significant amount of the marketing is for foods with a high content of fat, sugar or salt and that television advertising influences children’s food preferences, purchase requests and consumption patterns, while taking into account existing legislation and national policies, as appropriate;

⁹World Health Organization, Sixty-third World Health Assembly, Geneva, 17–21 May 2010, Resolutions and Decisions, Annexes (WHA63/2010/REC/1), annex 4.

Promote the development and initiate the implementation, as appropriate, of cost-effective interventions to reduce salt, sugar and saturated fats and eliminate industrially produced trans-fats in foods, including through discouraging the production and marketing of foods that contribute to unhealthy diet, while taking into account existing legislation and policies;

Encourage policies that support the production and manufacture of, and facilitate access to, foods that contribute to healthy diet, and provide greater opportunities for utilization of healthy local agricultural products and foods, thus contributing to efforts to cope with the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities posed by globalization and to achieve food security;

Promote, protect and support breastfeeding, including exclusive breastfeeding for about six months from birth, as appropriate, as breastfeeding reduces susceptibility to infections and the risk of undernutrition, promotes the growth and development of infants and young children and helps to reduce the risk of developing conditions such as obesity and non-communicable diseases later in life, and in this regard strengthen the implementation of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes¹⁰ and subsequent relevant World Health Assembly resolutions;

¹⁰Available at www.who.int/nutrition/publications/code_english.pdf.

Promote increased access to cost-effective vaccinations to prevent infections associated with cancers, as part of national immunization schedules;

Promote increased access to cost-effective cancer screening programmes, as determined by national situations;

Scale up, where appropriate, a package of proven, effective interventions, such as health promotion and primary prevention approaches, and galvanize actions for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases through a meaningful multisectoral response, addressing risk factors and determinants of health;

With a view to strengthening its contribution to non-communicable disease prevention and control, call upon the private sector, where appropriate, to:

Take measures to implement the World Health Organization set of recommendations to reduce the impact of the marketing of unhealthy foods and non-alcoholic beverages to children, while taking into account existing national legislation and policies;

Consider producing and promoting more food products consistent with a healthy diet, including by reformulating products to provide healthier options that are affordable and accessible and that follow relevant nutrition facts and labelling standards, including information on sugars, salt and fats and, where appropriate, trans-fat content;

Promote and create an enabling environment for healthy behaviours among workers, including by establishing tobacco-free workplaces and safe and healthy working environments through occupational safety and health measures, including, where appropriate, through good corporate practices, workplace wellness programmes and health insurance plans;

Work towards reducing the use of salt in the food industry in order to lower sodium consumption;

Contribute to efforts to improve access to and affordability of medicines and technologies in the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases;

Strengthen national policies and health systems

Promote, establish or support and strengthen, by 2013, as appropriate, multisectoral national policies and plans for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases, taking into account, as appropriate, the 2008–2013 Action Plan for the Global Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases and the objectives contained therein, and take steps to implement such policies and plans:

Strengthen and integrate, as appropriate, non-communicable disease policies and programmes into health-planning processes and the national development agenda of each Member State;

Pursue, as appropriate, comprehensive strengthening of health systems that support primary health care and deliver effective, sustainable and coordinated responses and evidence-based, cost-effective, equitable and integrated essential services for addressing non-communicable disease risk factors and for the prevention, treatment and care of non-communicable diseases, acknowledging the importance of promoting patient empowerment, rehabilitation and palliative care for persons with non-communicable diseases and of a life course approach, given the often chronic nature of non-communicable diseases;

According to national priorities, and taking into account domestic circumstances, increase and prioritize budgetary allocations for addressing non-communicable disease risk factors and for surveillance, prevention, early detection and treatment of non-communicable diseases and the related care and support, including palliative care;

Explore the provision of adequate, predictable and sustained resources, through domestic, bilateral, regional and multilateral channels, including traditional and voluntary innovative financing mechanisms;

Pursue and promote gender-based approaches for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases founded on data disaggregated by sex and age in an effort to address the critical differences in the risks of morbidity and mortality from non-communicable diseases for women and men;

Promote multisectoral and multi-stakeholder engagement in order to reverse, stop and decrease the rising trends of obesity in child, youth and adult populations, respectively;

Recognize where health disparities exist between indigenous peoples and non-indigenous populations in the incidence of non-communicable diseases and their common risk factors, and that these disparities are often linked to historical, economic and social factors, and encourage the involvement of indigenous peoples and communities in the development, implementation and evaluation of non-communicable disease prevention and control policies, plans and programmes, where appropriate, while promoting the development and strengthening of capacities at various levels and recognizing the cultural heritage and traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples and respecting, preserving and promoting, as appropriate, their traditional medicine, including conservation of their vital medicinal plants, animals and minerals;

Recognize further the potential and contribution of traditional and local knowledge, and in this regard respect and preserve, in accordance with national capacities, priorities, relevant legislation and circumstances, the knowledge and safe and effective use of traditional medicine, treatments and practices, appropriately based on the circumstances in each country;

Pursue all necessary efforts to strengthen nationally driven, sustainable, cost-effective and comprehensive responses in all sectors for the prevention of non-communicable diseases, with the full and active participation of people living with these diseases, civil society and the private sector, where appropriate;

Promote the production, training and retention of health workers with a view to facilitating adequate deployment of a skilled health workforce within countries and regions, in accordance with the World Health Organization Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel;¹¹

¹¹See World Health Organization, Sixty-third World Health Assembly, Geneva, 17–21 May 2010, Resolutions and Decisions, Annexes (WHA63/2010/REC/1), annex 5.

Strengthen, as appropriate, information systems for health planning and management, including through the collection, disaggregation, analysis, interpretation and dissemination of data and the development of population-based national registries and surveys, where appropriate, to facilitate appropriate and timely interventions for the entire population;

According to national priorities, give greater priority to surveillance, early detection, screening, diagnosis and treatment of non-communicable diseases and prevention and control, and to improving accessibility to safe, affordable, effective and quality medicines and technologies to diagnose and to treat them; provide sustainable access to medicines and technologies, including through the development and use of evidence-based guidelines for the treatment of non-communicable diseases, and efficient procurement and distribution of medicines in countries; and strengthen viable financing options and promote the use of affordable medicines, including generics, as well as improved access to preventive, curative, palliative and rehabilitative services, particularly at the community level;

According to country-led prioritization, ensure the scaling-up of effective, evidence-based and cost-effective interventions that demonstrate the potential to treat individuals with non-communicable diseases, protect those at high risk of developing them and reduce risk across populations;

Recognize the importance of universal coverage in national health systems, especially through primary health care and social protection mechanisms, to provide access to health services for all, in particular for the poorest segments of the population;

Promote the inclusion of non-communicable disease prevention and control within sexual and reproductive health and maternal and child health programmes, especially at the primary health-care level, as well as other programmes, as appropriate, and also integrate interventions in these areas into non-communicable disease prevention programmes;

Promote access to comprehensive and cost-effective prevention, treatment and care for the integrated management of non-communicable diseases, including, inter alia, increased access to affordable, safe, effective and quality medicines and diagnostics and other technologies, including through the full use of trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights (TRIPS) flexibilities;

Improve diagnostic services, including by increasing the capacity of and access to laboratory and imaging services with adequate and skilled manpower to deliver such services, and collaborate with the private sector to improve affordability, accessibility and maintenance of diagnostic equipment and technologies;

Encourage alliances and networks that bring together national, regional and global actors, including academic and research institutes, for the development of new medicines, vaccines, diagnostics and technologies, learning from experiences in the field of HIV/AIDS, among others, according to national priorities and strategies;

Strengthen health-care infrastructure, including for procurement, storage and distribution of medicine, in particular transportation and storage networks to facilitate efficient service delivery;

International cooperation, including collaborative partnerships

Strengthen international cooperation in support of national, regional and global plans for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases, inter alia, through the exchange of best practices in the areas of health promotion, legislation, regulation and health systems strengthening, training of health personnel, development of appropriate health-care infrastructure and diagnostics, and by promoting the development and dissemination of appropriate, affordable and sustainable transfer of technology on mutually agreed terms and the production of affordable, safe, effective and quality medicines and vaccines, while recognizing the leading role of the World Health Organization as the primary specialized agency for health in that regard;

Acknowledge the contribution of aid targeted at the health sector, while recognizing that much more needs to be done. We call for the fulfilment of all official development assistance-related commitments, including the commitments by many developed countries to achieve the target of 0.7 per cent of gross national income for official development assistance by 2015, as well as the commitments contained in the Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the Decade 2011–2020,¹² and strongly urge those developed countries that have not yet done so to make additional concrete efforts to fulfil their commitments;

¹²See Report of the Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, Istanbul, Turkey, 9-13 May 2011 (United Nations publication, Sales No. 11.II.A.1), chap. II.

Stress the importance of North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation, in the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases, to promote at the national, regional and international levels an enabling environment to facilitate healthy lifestyles and choices, bearing in mind that South-South cooperation is not a substitute for, but rather a complement to, North-South cooperation;

Promote all possible means to identify and mobilize adequate, predictable and sustained financial resources and the necessary human and technical resources, and to consider support for voluntary, cost-effective, innovative approaches for a long- term financing of non-communicable disease prevention and control, taking into account the Millennium Development Goals;

Acknowledge the contribution of international cooperation and assistance in the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases, and in this regard encourage the continued inclusion of non-communicable diseases in development cooperation agendas and initiatives;

Call upon the World Health Organization, as the lead United Nations specialized agency for health, and all other relevant United Nations system agencies, funds and programmes, the international financial institutions, development banks and other key international organizations to work together in a coordinated manner to support national efforts to prevent and control non-communicable diseases and mitigate their impacts;

Urge relevant international organizations to continue to provide technical assistance and capacity-building to developing countries, especially to the least developed countries, in the areas of non-communicable disease prevention and control and promotion of access to medicines for all, including through the full use of trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights flexibilities and provisions;

Enhance the quality of aid by strengthening national ownership, alignment, harmonization, predictability, mutual accountability and transparency, and results orientation;

Engage non-health actors and key stakeholders, where appropriate, including the private sector and civil society, in collaborative partnerships to promote health and to reduce non-communicable disease risk factors, including through building community capacity in promoting healthy diets and lifestyles;

Foster partnerships between government and civil society, building on the contribution of health-related non-governmental organizations and patients’ organizations, to support, as appropriate, the provision of services for the prevention and control, treatment and care, including palliative care, of non-communicable diseases;

Promote the capacity-building of non-communicable-disease-related non-governmental organizations at the national and regional levels, in order to realize their full potential as partners in the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases;

Research and development

Promote actively national and international investments and strengthen national capacity for quality research and development, for all aspects related to the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases, in a sustainable and cost-effective manner, while noting the importance of continuing to incentivize innovation;

Promote the use of information and communications technology to improve programme implementation, health outcomes, health promotion, and reporting and surveillance systems and to disseminate, as appropriate, information on affordable, cost-effective, sustainable and quality interventions, best practices and lessons learned in the field of non-communicable diseases;

Support and facilitate non-communicable-disease-related research, and its translation, to enhance the knowledge base for ongoing national, regional and global action;

Monitoring and evaluation

Strengthen, as appropriate, country-level surveillance and monitoring systems, including surveys that are integrated into existing national health information systems and include monitoring exposure to risk factors, outcomes, social and economic determinants of health, and health system responses, recognizing that such systems are critical in appropriately addressing non-communicable diseases;

Call upon the World Health Organization, with the full participation of Member States, informed by their national situations, through its existing structures, and in collaboration with United Nations agencies, funds and programmes and other relevant regional and international organizations, as appropriate, building on continuing efforts to develop, before the end of 2012, a comprehensive global monitoring framework, including a set of indicators, capable of application across regional and country settings, including through multisectoral approaches, to monitor trends and to assess progress made in the implementation of national strategies and plans on non-communicable diseases;

Call upon the World Health Organization, in collaboration with Member States through the governing bodies of the World Health Organization, and in collaboration with United Nations agencies, funds and programmes, and other relevant regional and international organizations, as appropriate, building on the work already under way, to prepare recommendations for a set of voluntary global targets for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases, before the end of 2012;

Consider the development of national targets and indicators based on national situations, building on guidance provided by the World Health Organization, to focus on efforts to address the impacts of non-communicable diseases and to assess the progress made in the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases and their risk factors and determinants;

Follow-up

Request the Secretary-General, in close collaboration with the Director-General of the World Health Organization, and in consultation with Member States, United Nations funds and programmes and other relevant international organizations, to submit by the end of 2012 to the General Assembly, at its sixty-seventh session, for consideration by Member States, options for strengthening and facilitating multisectoral action for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases through effective partnership;

Request the Secretary-General, in collaboration with Member States, the World Health Organization and relevant funds, programmes and specialized agencies of the United Nations system to present to the General Assembly at its sixty-eighth session a report on the progress achieved in realizing the commitments made in this Political Declaration, including on the progress of multisectoral action, and the impact on the achievement of the internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals, in preparation for a comprehensive review and assessment in 2014 of the progress achieved in the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases.

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