The World Health Organization (WHO) has this week announced the members of the Civil Society Working Group on the third UN HLM on NCDs, comprised of 26 civil society representatives and co-chaired by WHO ADG Dr Svetlana Akselrod and NCDA CEO Katie Dain. DAI congratulates to Katie Dain, the CEO of the NCD Alliance in her role as co-chair.
"WHO Civil Society Working Group on the third High-level Meeting of the UN General Assembly on NCDs
In October 2017, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), announced the establishment of a civil society Working Group for the third High-level Meeting of the UN General Assembly on NCDs in 2018.
The Working Group’s aim is to advise the Director-General on bold and practical recommendations on mobilizing civil society in a meaningful manner to advocate for a highly successful high-level meeting, one which proves to be a tipping point for the NCD and mental health response.
The Working Group will be co-chaired by Katie Dain, CEO, NCD Alliance (NGO), and Svetlana Axelrod, Assistant Director-General for NCDs and Mental Health, WHO. The WHO GCM/NCD Secretariat will act as Secretariat for the Working Group.
NCDs kill 15 million people between the ages of 30 and 69 each year. NCDs particularly affect low- and lower-middle income countries, where almost 50% of premature deaths from these conditions occur.
In 2015, world leaders committed to reduce premature deaths from NCDs by one third by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Recent WHO reports indicate that the world will struggle to meet that target based on the current rate of change and action."
The Working Group’s aim is to advise the WHO Director-General on practical but also recommendations that include 'thinking outside of the box' on mobilising civil society in a meaningful manner to advocate for a successful high-level meeting in New York.
It is pleasing that DAI has been invited to join this committee, and is being involved in this work, and we thank the WHO for this invitation, and therefore the acknowledgement of our important work.