TEHRAN, 26 October 2010 (UNIC) — A two-day regional consultation, hosted by the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran in cooperation with the World Health Organization, started yesterday in Tehran, as part of the preparatory process for the High-level Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in September 2011 in New York.
The regional consultation is seeking (i) to review the magnitude of NCDs and their socio-economic impact at the regional and country levels; (ii) to discuss the political and policy relevance of addressing NCDs in developing countries as a development issue; (iii) to identify the challenges, opportunities, and recommended actions for integrating the prevention and control of NCDs in the development agenda at global, regional and national levels; and (iv) to discuss the role of the Member States of the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region in supporting the preparations for the High-level Meeting of the General Assembly in September 2011. Heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer and chronic lung disease are referred to as NCDs.
In addition to Iran, nine countries from the region, including Lebanon, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Morocco, Oman and Qatar are participating in the Tehran meeting. WHO will be organizing such regional consultations in all its six regions around the world.
Speaking at the meeting, Dr Ala Alwan, Assistant-Director General of the World Health Organization, said “Heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer and chronic lung disease are now the leading causes of disease burden and death and they represent a major threat to global and regional development.” He said that these preventable problems, largely caused by tobacco use, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and harmful use of alcohol, are now causing an estimated 36 million deaths every year, including 9 million people dying prematurely before the age of 60 years. Their major impact is on populations of developing countries. Over 90% of the deaths from NCDs before the age of 60 occur in low- and middle-income countries and economies in transition, in particular, among the poorest and most vulnerable people.
Countries of the Eastern Mediterranean region, including Iran, are currently suffering from a progressive increase in the magnitude of these diseases, and their negative impact on socio-economic development. More than 50 per cent of deaths in the region are caused by these diseases and estimates of the WHO suggest that this region will have the second largest increase compared to other regions of the world in mortality from these diseases over the next ten years. According to WHO, most of the suffering and premature deaths caused by these diseases is preventable. Cost-effective interventions are available and can be implemented in all countries, but it requires higher political commitment.
NCDs are a development issue because of a loss of household income from unhealthy behaviour, loss of productivity due to disease, disability and premature death, and the high cost of health care which drives families below the poverty line.
NCDs are also undermining the attainment of the MDGs. The links between NCDs and HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and child and maternal health mean that NCDs need to be tackled if the MDG targets are to be achieved.
Raising the priority given to NCDs in health and overall development plans and initiatives has been one of the key priorities of WHO’s work since the development of the Global Strategy for the prevention and Control of NCDs and its endorsement by the World Health Assembly in May 2000. Objective one of the 2008-2013 Action Plan of the Global Strategy specifically focuses on integrating the prevention of NCDs into the global development agendas and related national initiatives.
