UN's Efforts on NCDs Historic, but Flawed : Compulsory targets of NCD reductions were cut from the document just days before the meeting.
From the General Assembly of the United Nations
“The middle bit – when final decisions are made on policy – is probably best left in the hand of government and the United Nations,” he said. “But if industry is not at the table, even talking about the options, the UN and the government will simply be lost in terms of knowing the full range of possibilities that are out there.”
He noted that industry is already committed to reformulating products, to changing food and beverage marketing to children, and to promoting greater physical activity.
In 2012, the UN is slated to address the issues of targets and indicators, as well as establish a postsummit partnership to drive implementation and ensure accountability.
There is still a chance that the “25% by 2025” NCD mortality reduction goal and other targets might be reinserted, NCD Alliance CEO Ann Keeling said in an interview.
The NCD Alliance, the main lobbying group that had first initiated the call for the UN high-level meeting, will be urging governments and the UN system to agree to strong outcomes on those issues.
“If the outcomes are strong, we will forgive governments for not agreeing to those at the summit,” Ms. Keeling concluded.
'If industry is not at the table, … the UN and the government will simply be lost' in terms of knowing the possibilities.
Source DR. YACH
In the UN declaration, member states agreed to reduce salt and sugars and eliminate trans fats in foods, and to increase access to health care systems.
Source Miriam E. Tucker/Elsevier Global Medical News
Focus on U.S. Agenda
The 2-day, high-level meeting of the UN General Assembly was not aimed just at the developing world, although that was a major focus.
Indeed, heads of state from more than 130 member states – including low-, middle- and high-income nations – were each allotted 3 minutes to speak about their own countries' experiences with NCDs and their national efforts taken to combat them.
The United States, where NCDs account for 7 of 10 deaths, is committed to reducing NCDs, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in her 3-minute address.
“For the United States' part, under President Obama, the United States has made taking on chronic disease a major focus.”
Among the U.S. initiatives are the recently launched Million Hearts campaign (
