Update on the 2025 UN HLM on NCDs: Statement by WHO Civil Society Working Group on NCDs calls for adoption and action at every level

When Member States met earlier this year on 25 September the fourth UN HLM on NCDs, the tone of the discussions reflected the urgent need for action. Country representatives had spent four months negotiating a Political Declaration, which contained clear recognition of the scale and impact of NCDs on communities around the world, and a series of time-bound targets to guide national action

While the Declaration was strongly endorsed by the vast majority of Member States, a small number voiced concerns around concerns over the inclusion of equity as a health goal, the role of WHO in global health architecture, use of taxation to address NCD risk factors, references to commercial determinants of health. Due to the objections by these member states, the formal adoption of the Political Declaration by the UN General Assembly has been delayed.

In response, the WHO Civil Society Working Group on NCDs have released a common statement emphasising that the Political Declaration represents a valuable tool in NCD advocacy. While it missed some key language – including the removal of a proposed target on excise taxes for health-harming products and insufficient attention to civil society participation – it contains some of the most ambitious commitments yet made on NCDs and mental health, including new fast-track and tracer targets, strengthened health workforce measures, and recognition of the critical role of people living with NCDs.

The statement reinforces the call for Member States to adopt the declaration and move forward with implementation.

UICC is encouraging its members to advocate with their national governments for swift adoption through the General Assembly, and to integrate into national NCD plans the commitments laid out in the Political Declaration. This includes the time-bound targets, and implementing legislative, regulatory and fiscal measures to prevent and control NCDs, as well as setting up financial protection mechanisms to cover or limit the cost of essential services, diagnostics, medicines and other health products. These actions will support action on NCDs and reinforce the pathway to universal health coverage (UHC) ahead of the 2027 HLM on UHC.