Summary:
To accelerate the response to address non-communicable diseases for the health and well-being of present and future generations.
Description:
The 2018 Political Declaration was adopted following the third high-level meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases with the title “Time to deliver: accelerating our response to address non-communicable diseases for the health and well-being of present and future generations”. The Political Declaration is built on the WHO Report “Time to deliver” attached on this page as supporting material.
In addition to reaffirming the commitments made in 2011 and 2014, the 2018 Political Declaration is notable for additional reasons:
- The elevation of the promotion of mental health alongside NCD prevention (particularly, but not exclusively, in para 11);
- The role recognized to the private sector. The resolution called on Governments to “[e]ngage with the private sector… while giving due regard to managing conflicts of interest” (para 43), and to “[i]nvite the private sector to strengthen its commitment and contribution to the implementation of national responses to prevent, control and treat non-communicable diseases” (para 44). This included:
- “…making further efforts to reformulate [food products] in order to provide healthy and nutritious options, reducing the excessive use of salt, sugars and fats, in particular saturated fats and trans-fats, as well as providing appropriate content information of those nutrients, bearing in mind international guidelines on nutrition labelling” (para 44(d));
- “[c]ommitting to further reduce the exposure of children to and impact on them of the marketing of foods and beverages high in fats, in particular saturated fats and trans-fats, sugars or salt, consistent with national legislation, where applicable” (para 44(e));