The George Institute’s Response to the Zero Draft on NCDs and Mental Health

The George Institute's response to the Zero Draft of the Political Declaration of the fourth high-level meeting of the General Assembly on the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases and the promotion of mental health and well-being

The upcoming UN High-Level Meeting (HLM) on NCDs presents a crucial opportunity for global leadership and bold political will to address the leading causes of death and disability worldwide. The recent adoption of the Pandemic Treaty by member states at the 78^th World Health Assembly serves as a powerful example of what can be achieved when nations unite behind a shared vision and forge strong, mutually beneficial partnerships.

This response supplements The George Institute's position statement ahead of the HLM, as well as documents developed by the global NCD Alliance, of which The George Institute is a partner: key messages in response to the Zero Draft, and detailed comments on the draft text.

Key recommendations:

1. Include a specific financing target for NCDs, in line with targets for Universal Health Coverage and Primary Care
2. Reiterate the commitment to take a gender-based approach to NCDs
3. Strengthen the language on providing effective financing for health through overseas development assistance
4. Include targets for all five NCDs in the WHO's 5 x 5 framework
5. Highlight the importance of quality, timely, disaggregated data and the role of the research community
6. Strengthen commitments to address the impacts of the climate crisis on health and health systems
7. Explicitly acknowledge the commercial determinants of health and their impacts
8. Include commitments on establishing formal mechanisms for community engagement and social participation , and call on donors to fund civil society

Read full response here.