Alcohol and Non-communicable diseases (NCD)
In 2011 the United Nations High Level Meeting on NCDs demonstrated a global consensus around the need to develop and implement prevention strategies and control the disease burden related to alcohol and three other major health-risk factors: tobacco, unhealthy foods, and lack of physical exercise. The four disease categories addressed by the UN’s NCD initiative include cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic lung disease, and diabetes. Although NCDs are commonly perceived as problems of more wealthy countries, a significant portion of the disease burden from NCDs actually occurs in low- and middle-income countries.
UNDP Discussion Paper:
Addressing the Social Determinants of Noncommunicable Diseases
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has recently issued a Discussion Paper titled "Addressing the Social Determinants of Noncommunicable Diseases". It offers a typology of multisectoral action on NCDs and a framework for actors outside the health sector to take action.
World Health Organization to tackle non-communicable disease
The 66th World Health Assembly opened in Geneva today. One of the main issues is how the increasing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCD) will be handled in the future. Referring to the difference between malaria and NCDs the Director General of WHO, Dr. Margaret Chan, in her opening speech stated that “Mosquitoes do not have front groups, and mosquitoes do not have lobbies.”
The new tsunami of non-communicable diseases:
- Prevention is the only viable policy option
“We experience a tsunami of new non-communicable diseases. We have got no option. We must put our efforts into prevention by promoting healthy lifestyles”. With these words the South African Minister of Health, Hon Aaron Motsoaledi opened the a WHO meeting on NCDs in Johannesburg.
New web site on alcohol and cancer
Experts have known since 1987 that alcohol can cause cancer, but the connection between the two is often unknown or ignored, both by the general public and by health professionals and NGOs. To compensate for this Eurocare and the Association of European Cancer Leagues have now launched a web resource on alcohol as a risk factor for cancer.
UN adopts declaration on non-communicable diseases
The United Nations High Level Meeting on the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases in New York recently adopted a Political Declaration calling for greater measures at global, regional and national levels to prevent and control NCDs.
Journal Addiction calls for action on alcohol and NCD
An editorial by Robin Room, Jürgen Rehm and Charles Parry in the journal Addiction points to the September High Level Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly as an occasion to remedy the relative lack of action on alcohol in reducing the burden of Non Communicable Diseases (NCD).
Lack of clarity on role of industry for UN NCD meeting
NGOs express concern over conflict of interest
79 NGOs from various sectors have issued a statement of concern to the President of the UN General Assembly. The NGOs are concerned about the lack of clarity of roles for the industry sector in the recently held UN interactive hearing for civil society and the UN High Level Meeting on non-communicable diseases (NCD) in September.
Global Alcohol Policy Alliance brief:
Addressing harmful use of alcohol is essential to realising the goals of the UN Political Declaration non-communicable diseases (NCDs)
Leading up to the UN High Level Meeting on Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases (NCD), the Global Alcohol Policy Alliance has issued a brief positioning alcohol firmly in the NCD agenda.
First WHO Global status report on NCDs
Millions of NCD deaths can be prevented
Noncommunicable diseases are the leading killer today and are on the increase, the first WHO Global status report on noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) launched In Moscow during the WHO Global Forum confirms. But millions of deaths can be prevented by stronger implementation of measures that exist today.
WHO DG Margaret Chan at Moscow Global Forum:
The rise of NCD: an impending disaster
At the opening of the recent WHO Global Forum, Addressing the Challenge of Noncommunicable Diseases, Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization, in her opening statement called the rise of chronic noncommunicable diseases an impending disaster - for health, for society, and most of all for national economies."
