Multisectoral coordination to address NCDs through law: Good practices from the Western Pacific Region

Multisectoral coordination to address NCDs through law: Good practices from the Western Pacific Region draws on case studies from the region, pulling out lessons for how multisectoral coordination can help develop, implement, enforce and defend legislation to prevent and control NCDs.

NCDs including cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular and chronic respiratory diseases and mental health disorders are responsible for more than 70% of deaths globally, and more than 80% of deaths in the Western Pacific. The need for multisectoral coordination has been identified in several NCD strategies, including WHO Global Action Plan on the Prevention and Control of NCDs 2013–2030 and Western Pacific Regional Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of NCDs 2014–2020.

“NCDs are more than just a health issue. Their burden is felt across all segments of society, impacting the health, social and economic wellbeing of the entire population. The case studies in this report demonstrate that a whole-of government and a whole-of-society approach is crucial to advancing legal measures to address NCDs. These lessons are more important than ever as our societies grapple with COVID-19.”
– Hayley Jones, Acting Director of the McCabe Centre

The McCabe Centre’s report finds that multisectoral coordination is most effective when it engages a range of stakeholders from different parts of government and the broader community. But who to include – and who to exclude – in multisectoral coordination bodies will depend on the context and aims of the body. The report also describes the importance of high-level leadership to fostering collaboration across sectors, and good practices for creating and sustaining multisectoral coordination bodies. Underlying all of these, the law and legal frameworks are crucial to enabling collaboration, ensuring coordination and providing protection against conflicts of interest or misuses of power.

Access the full article on the report by the McCabe Centre for Law & Cancer