The NCD Alliance (NCDA) opened the week of the 78th World Health Assembly (WHA78) with active participation on Sunday 18 May, highlighting our commitment to advancing the NCD agenda ahead of the fourth UN High-Level Meeting (HLM4) on NCDs and Mental Health. The day underscored a shared determination across sectors to strengthen leadership, financing, and community engagement in global health, and to ensure the HLM4 delivers results.

During the closing session, “NCD Action in a Changing World”, at the World Heart Federation (WHF) Summit, co-organised with the NCD Alliance, Moderator The Lancet Editor-in-Chief Richard Horton set a frank but hopeful tone, stressing that “We need solidarity, hope and a plan.”

The session included some of the NCD community’s most staunch supporters and advocates, including Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand and a longstanding NCD Champion. During the Fireside Chat, Clark called for stronger regulation and accountability. She stressed the importance of health taxes and resisting the influence of health-harming industries.

Joining Clark in the Fireside Chat segment of the session was Sania Nishtar, CEO of Gavi and also an NCD Champion, who urged greater integration of services that meet real people’s needs. “We need solidarity, hope and a plan,” she repeated, reinforcing the session’s overarching theme set by Horton. “We definitely need more spending for global health; this is a special moment for advocacy. We need to have concrete measurable results and we need accountability mechanisms to hold us all to delivery.”

 

The Fireside Chat was followed by a panel discussion that featured a range of perspectives from global health leaders. Tom Frieden, President and CEO, Resolve to Save Lives, emphasised the need to shift from talk to measurable action. “A whole lot more is said than done at these meetings. We need implementation. We need courage. And we need to name the blockers.”

 

Dr Viroj Tangcharoensathien, Senior Advisor at the International Health Policy Foundation, Thailand, underscored the role of health taxes and regulatory measures. “We are losing the war on tobacco. The industry is the murderer — and taxation is the most powerful intervention we have.”

 

Staying true to the theme of investment, Nick Banatvala, Head of Secretariat, UN Interagency Task Force on NCDs, addressed financing and systems integration. “There are interventions that don’t cost a lot, but we also need serious investment. Catalytic funding and better coordination are key.”

 

Nupur Lalvani, founder of Blue Circle Diabetes Foundation and a member of NCDA’s Our Views, Our Voices, gave a powerful intervention from the perspective of lived experience. “The voices of people living with NCDs are not negotiable,” she said. “We are not an afterthought.”

 

Reflecting on recent developments and adding a broader political frame, NCDA CEO Katie Dain said:

“Given the geopolitics of the day, every topic becomes a polarised debate. None of this is surprising — but it’s a real reality check. The takeaway is that we need serious health diplomacy and a strong coalition of progressive champion governments willing to set a high bar for the HLM4 Political Declaration.”

 

NCDA’s new President Leslie Rae Ferat delivered her first public remarks since assuming the role earlier this month. Speaking at the close of the dynamic 75-minute panel, Ferat noted that the session reflected both the urgency and the opportunity of the moment.

“We have our work cut out, but also some reasons for optimism. The level of focus and momentum on NCDs at this WHA – including important resolutions on mental health, kidney health and cervical cancer – is encouraging. These are all top priority for the NCD community and our collective response. Implementation. Financing. Integration. Communities. Accountability. These are not just priorities — they are our collective roadmap.”

 

With WHA78 underway and the HLM4 in September fast approaching, the message from Geneva is clear: it’s time to move beyond declarations and toward delivery — grounded in solidarity, hope and a plan. In the months ahead, the Global Week for Action on NCDs will serve as a key mobilisation moment to amplify civil society voices, drive political will, and press for meaningful commitments.

The call is simple: it’s Time to Lead.

Photo caption: Helen Clark and Sania Nishtar at NCDA-WHF event, 18 May 2025, Geneva. ©WHF