The political declaration from the third high-level meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases (NCD HLM), held in September 2018, provides the most recent, explicit and prominent articulation of national governments’ desire and commitment to formally expand the NCD agenda to include mental health and air pollution respectively.

Our next webinar - taking place on 24 April - will discuss this strategic new opportunity for the NCD response with experts on mental health and air pollution, noting that WHO will be invited to present sets of recommended policy interventions by 2020 on both issues.

 

 

Air pollution is recognised as a major risk factor, as dangerous to public health as tobacco, linked to around 7 million premature deaths worldwide every year. Mental and neurological disorders are NCDs by definition and recognised as a major contributor to the global burden of disease, but had not been prioritised for particular attention following earlier political declarations.

 

By moving from “4 by 4” to “5 by 5” (colloquially), Member States have established greater parity between mental health conditions and other NCDs, and have also provided new opportunities for a more holistic, collaborative and person-centred response to NCD prevention and management.

 

Join us on 24 April to discuss this new strategic opportunity, register by clicking here.