The Fourteenth Meeting of the United Nations Interagency Task Force on the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) took place at the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Geneva from 4-5 March 2020 and gathered twenty United Nations agencies, programmes, and funds, as well as other inter-governmental organizations and development banks.
Task Force members welcomed significant progress against actions agreed at the Thirteenth Meeting, in particular the continued efforts to drive forward action at the country level.
Participants discussed the recent Task Force joint mission in Nigeria, which was done in partnership with the WHO Global TB Programme. The mission focused on strengthening Nigeria’s response to NCDs and TB, within a broader health system response. The December 2019 joint mission to Uganda was also discussed. Task Force members highlighted the contribution that these missions are supporting the SDG 3 Plus Global Action Plan on Healthy Lives and Well-being for All. Discussion also focused on the alignment between the Task Force Strategy 2019-2021 and the Global Action Plan as well UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Frameworks and WHO Country Cooperation Strategies.
Participants discussed the first mental health investment case mission in the Philippines, undertaken under one of the Task Force’s flagship programmes, ‘NCD 2030’. This programme supports countries to deliver effective national multisectoral NCD and mental health responses to achieve the NCD-related Sustainable Development Goals.
Task Force members discussed the WHO Special Initiative on Mental Health and reviewed progress across other initiatives and programmes, including tobacco control (as well as the Alternative Livelihood for Tobacco Farmers Programme, which aims at providing concrete guidance to switch from tobacco to healthier, more sustainable and environmentally friendly crop options), SAFER for reducing harmful use of alcohol, cervical cancer, and Be He@lthy, Be Mobile. Other workstreams reviewed included nutrition, NCDs and air pollution, and NCDs and humanitarian emergencies.
In response to the call from ECOSOC, members of the Task Force discussed action to support low and low-middle income countries scale up access to diagnosis, treatment and care for noncommunicable diseases. As part of this, members discussed next steps following the recent meeting convened by the Task Force Secretariat, WHO and PATH to learn how experience from HIV, tuberculosis, malaria and reproductive health could be applied to NCDs.
The importance of establishing the Multi-Partner Trust Fund was again highlighted and progress being made in setting this up with the UN Multi -Partner Trust Fund Office in New York was discussed. Members recommended that Trust Fund be launched at the 2020 ECOSCOC High-level Political Forum.
Task Force members also discussed the timeline for the 2020 Task Force Awards and plans to finalise the 2020 report for ECOSOC.