Denmark co-hosts the WHO Global Dialogue on partnerships for sustainable financing of noncommunicable diseases prevention and control.
Globally, noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are responsible for 40 million deaths every year, and tackling this issue is a global priority; however, investment is still lacking.
Action is needed to reach the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal Target 3.4, which aims to reduce premature deaths from NCDs by one-third by 2030.
In response to this matter, Denmark is co-hosting the WHO Global Dialogue in Copenhagen from 9-11 April 2018.
Accelerated and strengthened action
Dr Svetlana Axelrod, WHO’s assistant director general for NCDS and mental health, said: “The scale of the NCD crisis is immense, as is the need for accelerated and strengthened action across multiple sectors and stakeholders globally.
“Only by working together in new partnerships and investing the right levels of resources will we be able to protect people from NCDs and provide the care they need.”
At the dialogue, delegates from WHO member states, development agencies, United Nations agencies and nongovernmental organisations, academia, philanthropic organisations, and business associations will explore new ways to address the critical gap in financing for national NCD responses.
Axelrod added: “Ultimately, it is governments’ responsibility to secure resources for health, but all stakeholders, including the private sector, can play a major role in moving the NCD agenda forward.”
Hindering economic development
A major global health and development challenge is constituted by premature mortality rates from NCDs, such as cardiovascular disease leading to heart attacks and strokes, cancers, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases, because these diseases often kill people at a time when they are most productive in the workforce.
Ulla Tørnæs, Denmark’s Minister for Development Cooperation, said: “Partnerships hold the key to a healthier future and to the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
“We need to encourage innovative and bold partnerships between member states and non-state actors.”
She added: “We are looking forward to exploring and showcasing solutions through multisectoral and multistakeholder engagement, and Denmark is happy to be leading this important discussion on how to close the financing gap.”
Source: World Health Organization
