We recently learned that the UN General Assembly adopted the Modalities Resolution in late Dec 2010, laying out some vital details for the United Nations Summit on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) planned for later this year.
We’re thrilled to report that the Summit will take place on September 19 and 20, 2011, at UN headquarters in New York. The decision to make the Summit two days is a real victory for the chronic disease community, and particularly for the global health leaders, governments and organizations such as the NCD Alliance who worked so hard behind the scenes to make this happen. Arogya World founder Nalini Saligram said, “all roads in the chronic disease world lead to this UN Summit on September 19th and 20th. Now we have dates on which to focus our efforts to rally the world to come together in the fight against NCDs.”
The decision to spend two days on NCDs makes the Summit substantive and gives world leaders sufficient time to deliberate on key NCD issues in three roundtable sessions:
- The rising incidence, developmental and other challenges and the social and economic impact of non-communicable diseases and their risk factors;
- Strengthening national capacities, as well as appropriate policies, to address prevention and control of non-communicable diseases;
- Fostering international cooperation, as well as coordination, to address non-communicable diseases.
UN Member States are encouraged to be represented at the Summit at the Head of State level. At the end of the Summit, an Outcomes Document is expected to be adopted. Now that the dates and format for the Summit have been determined, we can put our heads down, roll up our sleeves and work hard to make this Summit a pivotal turning point in the fight against NCDs.
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