Pacific Island countries and territories at the inaugural Pacific Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) Summit, held last week in Tonga, have expressed their support for a Pacific funding mechanism to better balance responses to the mammoth burden of NCDs in the region.

In this regard, the Pacific Island countries and territories at the summit have agreed to explore options to establish greater synergies between funding sources.

A commitment was also made regarding the introduction of national legislation to ensure all Pacific Island countries and territories meet or exceed the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) taxation target and help achieve a Tobacco Free Pacific by 2025.

These are some of 17 key statements addressed in the adopted outcomes document of the high-level Pacific NCD Summit  in Nuku’alofa, Tonga, which will be presented for consideration at the Pacific Ministers of Health meeting in Cook Islands next year.

Read full press release in the link below.