2018•03•10     Vienna

IAEA hosted the Tenth Meeting of the United Nations Interagency Task Force on the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) on 20-21 February 2018 in Vienna. The meeting was attended by 17 UN agencies, programmes, funds and intergovernmental organizations.

Participants of the 10th Task Force meeting. Photo: IAEA. Creative Commons BY-NC 2.0

Mobilizing resources for UN system action at the country level was central to the discussions at the meeting. The Task Force has undertaken 25 joint programming and NCD investment case missions so far and the meeting agreed on the urgent need to ensure proper follow up action to accelerate achievement of NCD-related SDGs in these countries, as well as revised plans for future missions.

The Task Force agreed on its roadmap to support a successful the Third High-level of the UN General Assembly on NCDs prevention and control later in 2018 and its approach for providing inputs into the work of the recently established WHO High-level Commission on NCDs.

The Task Force reviewed progress in widening its scope of work to include the NCD-related targets included in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Task Force now has action-orientated work streams on physical activity, nutrition, mental health, joint communications, and NCDs and the environment.

Members discussed the work of the thematic working group on tobacco control, including UN model policy to prevent interference from tobacco industry, establishment of UN smoke free campuses and more generally support to implementation of SDG 2030 agenda, in particular target 3.a promoting the entering into force of the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products.

Task Force members agreed establish an ambitious new programme to provide support to countries following joint programming missions. The meeting also reviewed the joint UNDP-WHO programme to catalyse multisectoral action at country level, the cervical cancer programme being led by 7 Task Force members, the WHO-ITU mobile health programme and the contours for a new programme on the harmful use of alcohol.

Task Force members also agreed to establish a Task Force global advocates and awards programmes in line with last year’s ECOSOC resolution (E/RES/2017/8).

Task Force members agreed key messages for the 2018 report to UN Economic and Social Council.

The next meeting of the Task Force will be hosted by World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Geneva in November 2018.

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Read the full article which originally published at WHO: NCD Taskforce Events