International progress on noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and chronic respiratory disease is in jeopardy due to recent efforts by some member states to postpone and weaken ongoing negotiations at the United Nations (UN; New York, NY, USA).

In a letter addressed to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, the NCD Alliance (Geneva, Switzerland), a coalition of over 2,000 organizations from over 170 countries focusing on NCDs, attacked the state of negotiations towards the first-ever UN High-Level Meeting on the Prevention and Control of NCDs, scheduled for September 19, 2011, in New York (NY, USA). Of particular concern are the actions of the US, Canada, and the European Union (EU) to block proposals for the inclusion of an overarching goal: to cut preventable deaths from NCDs by 25% by 2025.

The NCD Alliance has therefore called on all member states to grasp the opportunity of the High-Level Meeting and agree to an overarching goal to reduce preventable deaths from NCDs by 25% by 2025; define a clear timeline for tackling the epidemic of the four major NCDs--cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and chronic respiratory disease; agree on a set of specific, evidence-based targets and global indicators; and form a high-level collaborative initiative of governments and UN agencies with civil society to stimulate and assess progress.

“We have a unique and historic opportunity to change the course of the NCD crisis and stop millions of people around the world suffering unnecessary pain and hardship; to do that, we need every government to agree and act on a common goal,” said Ann Keeling, MD, chair of the NCD Alliance. “The situation is urgent. Yet, it is reported that sound proposals for the draft declaration to include time-bound commitments and targets are being systematically deleted, diluted, and downgraded.”

NCDs are the leading cause of death worldwide, responsible for 36 million deaths in 2008 and accounting for 63% of all global deaths. A significant and growing social and economic threat, the NCD epidemic threatens to devastate families, overwhelm health systems, and slow global economic growth. Over the next 20 years, the NCD epidemic is projected to accelerate exponentially, with a projected 52 million annual deaths by the year 2030.

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