For immediate release
Statement by Alison Cox, Director of Policy and Advocacy, NCD Alliance
Friday, August 8, 2025 (New York, U.S; Geneva, Switzerland).- As negotiations of the final draft of the Political Declaration on Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health continue in New York, NCDA is deeply concerned that Rev.3 is significantly less ambitious and that renegotiations will lead to further weakening of the text, threatening to reverse progress in the NCD response at a turbulent time for global health.
Silence is broken - now the stakes are even higher. Rev.3 is already significantly less ambitious, and further re-negotiations risk weakening it even more. We urge governments to show political leadership in these final moments: reinstate strong targets and proven measures like health taxes, and put people before the interests of health-harming industries".
Alison Cox, Director of Policy and Advocacy, NCD Alliance
The mandate for the fourth UN High-Level Meeting on NCDs and Mental Health taking place on 25 September 2025 in New York, was clear on the need for a concise, action-oriented Declaration, that builds on previous commitments and mobilises political will and action via measurable global targets and commitments.
The current draft falls significantly short on this mandate and must not be further watered down. In particular, we urge Member States to take a strong position to support and retain global NCD targets and to strengthen language on fiscal measures.
We comment the inclusion of fast-track and indicator targets but are concerned by the dilution of tracer targets and removal of references to 2030 coverage goals. These targets are essential benchmarks to accelerate progress, strengthen health systems, and improve accountability, in line with A/RED/79/58 paragraph 5. We encourage explicit reference to the WHO Global Monitoring Framework on NCDs to ensure global alignment and accountability.
We are alarmed by the softening of language on health taxes, including the removal of sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) taxes in the latest draft (Rev.3). This undermines existing commitments to proven, cost-effective interventions.
We urge reinstating and reinforcing language from Rev. 1 to commit to: "Implement or increase taxation on tobacco, alcohol, and sugar-sweetened beverages, as recommended by the World Health Organization to support health objectives".
While health-harming industries may oppose these measures, it is crucial that the policymaking be protected from conflicts of interest, particularly from alcohol, tobacco, and sugar sweetened-beverages, as they are primary risk factors for NCDs. We urge member states to also retain language on the cost-effective 'Best Buys' measures that reduce these risks to health, in addition to fiscal policies, should the opportunity arise.
Read full NCDA analysis of Rev.3, the latest draft of the Political Declaration