This set of briefs produced by WHO and UNDP provide policy and decision makers across government with information on how non-communicable diseases (NCDs) impact their sector, and the proactive steps they can take to respond to the challenges while advancing their own objectives and accountabilities. 

 

Most premature NCD deaths are preventable by taking cost-effective action to tackle four main behavioural risk factors – tobacco use, harmful use of alcohol, physical inactivity and unhealthy diet. Tackling NCDs and their risk factors requires a response from government sectors beyond health. Multi-sectoral action for NCDs, endorsed in the 2011 Political Declaration on the Prevention and Control of NCDs and in numerous other high-level political decisions, is not a zero sum game. It is possible to identify strategies and approaches that deliver shared gains and co-benefits for all sectors involved. 

 

Blog overview by Roy Small of UNDP: What's in it for me? Helping non-health sectors understand how NCDs impact them