World Health Day

Interactive multi-stakeholder hearing as part of the preparatory process for the fourth high-level meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases and the promotion of mental health and well-being Opening segment Panel discussion 1: Tackling the determinants of noncommunicable diseases, mental health, and well-being through multisectoral and effective governance and collaborative action. The multistakeholder hearing will serve as an inclusive platform for stakeholders to share their perspectives, experiences, and best practices while identifying challenges and proposing actionable solutions. The discussion will focus on identifying priority actions to accelerate progress toward achieving SDG 3.4 and identifying concrete milestones for a successful high-level meeting on 25 September 2025 and its Political Declaration. The hearing will also present an opportunity for Member States and Observers of the General Assembly to engage wit...

The World Health Organization ( WHO )  Director-GeneralTedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that the latest  World Health Statistics  check-up – covering data up to 2022 – “ sends a stark message on the threat of noncommunicable diseases, which take an immense and increasing toll on lives, livelihoods, health systems, communities, economies and societies ”. The report calls for a substantial increase in investments in health and health systems “to get back on track towards the  Sustainable Development Goals  (SDGs)”, the Director-General added. Despite overall health progress, WHO said that the increasing toll of NCDs meant that if the trend were to continue, by around 2050, chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes and respiratory illnesses – will account for 86 per cent of the 90 million deaths each year: a staggering 90 per cent increase in absolute numbers, since 2019. Overall, the report underscores “a stagnation of health progress on...