Global Group of Heads of State and Government for the Prevention and Control of NCDs
10 December 2022 | Questions and answersThe Global Group of Heads of State and Government for the Prevention and Control of NCDs (The NCD Presidential Group) is an informal, voluntary, collaborative arrangement of interested Heads of State and Government from WHO Member States that will commence on April 2022 at the occasion of the International Strategic Dialogue on NCD and SDGs consisting of Heads of State and Government. The Group will not constitute a legal entity.
The vision of the group is to reduce the risk of premature death from NCDs and promote mental health and well-being and contribute to SDG target 3.4 by 2030 for as many countries as possible. It aims to involve as many Heads of State and Government as possible and showcase successes and good practices as inspiration to others.
Members are committed to strengthening work to protect people from NCDs. This is spread across 5 action areas: Engage, Accelerate, Invest, Align and Account.
By joining members can exchange experiences with peers, share achievements and strategize on challenges connected to the prevention and control of NCDs.
As many countries as wish to are welcome to join. WHO will work to ensure balanced representation from different regions, geographies and income groups.
The next Heads of State meeting is expected to take place in New York, United States, around the 78th United Nations General Assembly. Other activities may also be proposed. For example, an option could be for countries to organize study tours or field visits to showcase their work to other HoS group members.
There is an annual outcome document that summarizes the annual High-level meeting and notable successes. Countries will also receive communications support for any announcements they may wish to make regarding NCD commitments, progress or success stories.
In joining the HoS group, countries would also be invited to reflect on one of its core commitments to accelerate action on NCD prevention and management. By June 2023, they would be asked to specify at least one area of work that they commit to accelerate in their country over the next 12 months, aligned with the WHO NCD best buys or associated policies and packages. This would then be an area where they would prioritize expanding investment and technical support from national and/or international sources.
Key NCD advocacy and technical resources will be made available to the group on an ongoing basis. For example, in 2022 a new NCD global advocacy report and data portal were launched at the first HoS meeting in New York.