MEDIA RELEASE

Global campaign puts leadership in focus, urging governments to invest in equitable access, financial protection and accountable implementation

Monday 31 August 2026, Geneva, Switzerland – The Global Week for Action on NCDs begins today, uniting the global noncommunicable disease (NCD) community under the theme Leadership in Focus: From Commitments to Delivery. 

Throughout the week, civil society organisations, people living with NCDs, health professionals and partners around the world will call on governments to turn political commitments into sustainable financing, equitable access to care and measurable improvements in people's lives.

The campaign begins at a turning point for global health. Building stronger, more equitable health systems that put people first requires governments to move beyond commitments and lead on NCDs.

"Leadership on NCD financing means ensuring that investment reaches people and protects them from financial hardship. Commitments mean little if where people live, what they earn or who they are still determines whether they benefit from effective prevention and can access essential NCD treatment and care." said Katie Dain, CEO of NCD Alliance. “Out-of-pocket health spending pushes around 100 million people into extreme poverty every year. Millions more are forced to choose between paying for treatment and meeting other essential household needs.”

Delivering that leadership requires concrete policies and reforms that reduce dependence on out –of-pocket payments and establish sustainable domestic financing for NCD prevention, treatment and care. These reforms are essential to translating the commitments made at the Fourth Un High-level Meeting NCDs and Mental Health (HLM4) into progress towards Universal Health Coverage.

The road to the Third International Dialogue on Sustainable Financing for NCDs and Mental Health (IFD3) begins now. Taking place in Manila from 16-18 February 2027, IFD3 will be hosted by the Government of the Philippines in collaboration with the World Health Organization and the Asian Development Bank. The Dialogue is an important opportunity to advance sustainable financing and financial protection, and equitable access to medicines, diagnostics, and medical devices. 

Financing must ultimately be judged by who benefits. Medicines account for over half of out-of-pocket health spending in three-quarters of countries. Recent research finds that if countries procured medicines at the lowest observed prices, spending needs could fall by 20–50%. Yet, in most low- and middle-income countries, access to essential NCD health products remains inadequate, increasing health inequities globally, which is amplified within countries for certain marginalised groups, including women, the economically disadvantaged, rural populations, and ethnic minorities, as well as populations impacted by humanitarian emergencies.

Throughout the week, organisations and advocates across the world will showcase examples of leadership in action and demonstrate how sustainable financing, stronger policies and community engagement can accelerate progress on NCDs.

 

 

 

Notes

The Global Week is calling for greater investment that must translate into stronger health systems, expanded access to essential services and better health outcomes, including:

  • Establish concrete spending targets and promote health equity
  • Optimise fiscal space through coherent fiscal policies 
  • Deploy strategic access levers to lower costs and solidify health sovereignty
  • Build the foundation: invest in data and surveillance

Stories, campaign resources and opportunities to take action will be available on this website. Follow #ActOnNCDs throughout the week for updates.

Further information: 

 

Media enquiries:

Michael Kessler, Media Relations, NCD Alliance

Mobile: +34 655 792 699

Email: michael.kessler@intoon-media.com

 

About the NCD Alliance: 

The NCD Alliance (NCDA) is a registered non-governmental organisation (NGO) based in Geneva, Switzerland, dedicated to supporting a world free from preventable suffering, disability and death caused by noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Founded in 2009, NCDA brings together a unique network of over 500 members in more than 100 countries into a respected, united and credible global civil society movement. The movement is unified by the cross-cutting nature of common risk factors including unhealthy diets, alcohol, tobacco, air pollution and physical inactivity, and the system solutions for chronic NCDs such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic lung disease, diabetes, mental health and neurological disorders.

 

What are NCDs?

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of death and disability in the world. They include a wide and diverse range of conditions—from heart disease and diabetes to mental health, neurological, musculoskeletal, kidney and liver diseases, oral and eye health, genetic disorders, and many more. NCDs are largely driven by the same small group of risk factors, they are all chronic in nature requiring long-term or lifelong care, and they are all deeply intertwined with the most urgent global development priorities, like poverty, inequity and inequality, and the climate crisis. Despite their widespread prevalence and the devastating human and economic toll that they take, NCDs are not given the urgent attention they deserve.