Civil Society Hearing in Preparation for the High-level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases NCDs

– As delivered –

Statement by H.E. Mr. Miroslav Lajčák, President of the 72^nd Session of the UN General Assembly, at Civil Society Hearing in Preparation for the High-level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases NCDs

Excellencies, dear colleagues, ladies and gentlemen,

We are here to talk about non-communicable diseases.

For two main reasons:

One, because we are seeing extremely worrying trends.

And two, because we need to do something about that.

On 27 September, the General Assembly will hold its third high-level meeting on the prevention and control of NCDs.

And our job here, today, is to give it the best chance possible, to succeed.

Before we start our discussions, I will make a few points.

First, I want to talk about the scale of this challenge.

It is massive.

NCDs – including cancer, heart disease, stroke and diabetes – have become our biggest health threat.

For the first time in history, they are killing more people than infectious diseases. In fact, NCDs are now responsible for two thirds of all global deaths.

And, 15 million people with NCDs die per year before they reach 70.

But we need to be clear on something: this is not a phenomenon we must accept.

Because, the fact is: many NCDs are preventable.

Which means we can take direct action, to change these trends.

And some of us already have.

Limits on the use of tobacco…. Prohibitions on sugary drinks and food in schools…. The building of new cycle tracks, in cities….Or campaigns to promote mental health services.

These are the kind of efforts we have seen from governments and NGOs alike – in order to turn the tide, on NCDs.

And they have brought about positive results.

But, unfortunately, we have not seen enough of them.

That is why we should use today’s meeting to showcase best practices. And brainstorm on how we can scale them up.

As my second point, I want to highlight a major challenge.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development includes a target to reduce premature deaths from NCDs by one third.

Sadly, we are not on track to meet it, by the 2030 deadline.

People of all age groups, regions and countries can be affected by non-communicable diseases.

But there are many things, which increase the risk.

For example, having an unhealthy diet…. not doing any exercise…. smoking….. living in a polluted city….

…Or, simply, being poor.

Poverty significantly increases the chance of developing an NCD – and the chance of dying from it.

Over 85% of “premature” deaths happen in low and middle-income countries.

And this is a double threat. Not only does poverty make NCDs more destructive, but the rapid rise in NCDs could, in turn, hamper efforts to reduce poverty.

According to UNDP, between 2010 and 2030, the financial toll of NCDs could end up being as high as 20 trillion US dollars, for lower middle-income countries.

That is a huge amount of money. And it is money that could, otherwise, be spent on fighting poverty.

So, more investment is crucial.

It can save lives. And it can save money.

A recent report by the World Health Organization showed that more investment in prevention and treatment would mean that, by 2030, 8 million more people would survive NCDs.

And, in the same period, the world’s poorest countries could gain 350 billion US dollars.

So, as you can see, this is a serious return on investment.

As my final point, I want to stress how crucial the High-level Meeting, on September 27, will be.

It will bring Heads of State and Government from all over the world together on this issue.

And, it can act as a turning point.

When we look back, many years from now, I hope that we will view the high-level meeting as the moment when we changed our global response to NCDs….. for the better…and for good.

As President of the General Assembly, I will do everything I can to make the meeting a success.

Today’s hearing is an important step on this road. It is an opportunity to bring experiences and best practices from the ground.

We can hear from different stakeholders, who are crucial to this issue – including civil society representatives, business actors, medical researchers and others.

We can listen to the human stories, which will show the benefits of investment in preventing and treating NCDs.

We can learn more about what we all stand to lose, if we continue as we are.

And we can give the high-level meeting the best chance possible to change how NCDs affect our world.

So Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

I want to conclude by thanking the World Health Organization, for supporting today’s event – and for the pioneering work it is doing to help countries to prevent and treat NCDs.

And, let us all do our own part here, today.

Let us bring different ideas and perspectives to the table.

Let us make this hearing as interactive as possible.

And let us listen to – and learn from – those on the frontlines of the fight against NCDs.

I thank you.