The UN High-Level Summit on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) held on 19-20 September 2011 in New York was a major milestone in the history of global health and development. The Summit was only the second time the UN General Assembly devoted exclusive attention to a health-related issue and world leaders made unprecedented commitments to accelerate global progress on diabetes and NCDs.
An unprecedented 34 Heads of State and Government attended, and 120 Member States made statements expressing their concern about the global burden of NCDs and committing themselves to action. The Summit united people from all over the world to share experiences and solutions in numerous side events, and energized the global NCD community to take action.
The most significant outcome of the Summit was the unanimous adoption of the Political Declaration [2] on NCD Prevention and Control by 193 Member States. The Political Declaration includes a set of commitments that firmly position diabetes and NCDs at the top of the global health and development agenda. Governments have finally taken ownership of the NCD problem and stated in definitive language that ‘we have a problem and we need to fix it.'
IDF led a civil society movement which pushed for the UN Summit, influenced political negotiations and secured strong outcomes for diabetes and NCDs.
Find out more about IDF’s campaign on the UN Summit: