Non-Communicable Diseases Take Center Stage at the UN General Assembly

Non-communicable diseases, or NCDs (including cancer, heart disease, and diabetes) cause two-thirds of deaths around the globe. On September 19, the UN General Assembly featured the first-ever High-Level Meeting on the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases. This meeting served as a timely opportunity for the world community to focus needed attention and leadership on the growing threat posed by NCDs and to spur worldwide action. "The United States welcomes the opportunity today to learn from the public health efforts of our neighbors around the globe -- and ask what steps we can take together to reduce the burden of chronic disease on the people of the world," said U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius in a speech delivered at the UN. The United States is fully committed to addressing the issue of NCDs by taking a "whole of government" approach to the problem. Ultimately, however, successfully preventing and controlling NCDs will require action well beyond the public health sector. We also need a multi-stakeholder approach that includes civil society, NGOs, industry, the private sector, academia, media, and the research community."