{"id":163332,"date":"2018-07-06T11:00:04","date_gmt":"2018-07-06T15:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/72\/?p=163332"},"modified":"2018-07-06T11:00:04","modified_gmt":"2018-07-06T15:00:04","slug":"closing-interactive-hearing-in-preparation-of-the-high-level-meeting-on-non-communicable-diseases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/72\/2018\/07\/06\/closing-interactive-hearing-in-preparation-of-the-high-level-meeting-on-non-communicable-diseases\/","title":{"rendered":"CLOSING: Interactive hearing in preparation of the high-level meeting on non-communicable diseases"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Closing of the\u00a0interactive hearing in preparation of the high-level meeting on non-communicable diseases (NCDs)<\/h1>\n
\n

5 July 2018<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.6″ sticky=”off” border_style=”solid” src=”https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/72\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2018\/07\/DSC07683-Copy.jpg” \/][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.6″ border_style=”solid” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial”]<\/p>\n

– As delivered –<\/em><\/h4>\n

Statement by H.E. Mr. Miroslav Laj\u010d\u00e1k, President of the 72nd<\/sup> Session of the ±¬ÁÏÍø General Assembly, at Closing of the Interactive Hearing in Preparation of the High-level meeting on Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) (NCDs).<\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

Excellencies, dear colleagues, ladies and gentlemen,<\/em><\/p>\n

Thank you, again, for participating in this interactive hearing.<\/p>\n

I\u00a0will only speak for a\u00a0few minutes. And so, I\u00a0will not attempt to summarise what was said today. The discussions were too complex, and too diverse, for that.<\/p>\n

But I\u00a0will point out a\u00a0few things, which stuck with me.<\/p>\n

First: the scale of this challenge.<\/p>\n

A lot of data and analysis came up in our discussions today.<\/p>\n

We heard that…….<\/p>\n

    \n
  • We may lose 120 million lives prematurely by 2025<\/li>\n
  • NCDs produce annual GDP losses of between 3.5 and 5.9%<\/li>\n
  • And most countries do not allocate enough of their budgets to health \u2013 we committed to 15%; most have only reached 7%, and in low income countries, it\u2019s less than 5%!<\/li>\n
  • And we heard that without urgent action, tobacco could kill a billion people in this century.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    These numbers are not easy to listen to. But that is exactly what we need to do.<\/p>\n

    Because that is the only way we can understand the scale and complexities of the challenges posed by NCDs.<\/p>\n

    And that is the only way we can make sure that we can rise, to meet them.<\/p>\n

    The second main takeaway is that action is happening, on the ground.<\/p>\n

    There are efforts underway to prevent and combat NCDs \u2013 and to reverse the worrying trends that we are seeing.<\/p>\n

    Many of you pointed to the best practices that have been seen at the national-level.<\/p>\n

    For example, Colombia\u2019s bold decision to triple the tax on tobacco was said to result in a 15% drop in use and a 46% increase in revenue. Or, Jamaica where there is a new programme to remove sugar-sweetened beverages from schools.<\/p>\n

    Many initiatives involve a variety of bodies and actors. And, they show that a \u201cwhole-of-society approach\u201d is more than a phrase \u2013 actually, it is a reality, in many places, on the ground.<\/p>\n

    So, in a way, I think this hearing has acted as a source of hope. It shows that action can<\/em> be taken, to change the reality of NCDs.<\/p>\n

    But the problem remains: there is not enough of it.<\/p>\n

    There are still major gaps \u2013 particularly when it comes to investment.<\/p>\n

    And that was a third takeaway from today\u2019s hearing.<\/p>\n

    Simply put: we are just not dedicating enough resources to preventing and controlling NCDs.<\/p>\n

    And, this is coming back to bite us.<\/p>\n

    As our discussions showed, the economic burden of NCDs is staggering. This is particularly acute, for middle or lower-income countries.<\/p>\n

    That is why we heard the case for a scale-up of investment being made, loud and clear, today.<\/p>\n

    We heard that it is better for people \u2013 and it is better for budgets.<\/p>\n

    As we heard, every dollar invested in NCDs yields seven dollars in returns.<\/p>\n

    In the words of Katie Dain, \u201cinvest now, save later\u201d.<\/p>\n

    But, we cannot just sit back, and wait for this realisation to sink in. And this, for me, was takeaway number four.<\/p>\n

    We have already made a very concrete commitment. In signing up to target 3.4 of the 2030 Agenda, we promised to reduce premature deaths by one third.<\/p>\n

    As we have seen, however, a commitment is not enough. Because, we will not meet that target \u2013 at our current pace.<\/p>\n

    So, we need to do more.<\/p>\n

    We need detailed plans\u2026.specific priorities\u2026.prioritisation of best-buy initiatives\u2026And to make this happen, the first ingredient is firm political will.<\/p>\n

    [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.6″ background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial”]<\/p>\n

    And, the fifth and final takeaway relates to people.<\/p>\n

    Today we saw the human face of NCDs.<\/p>\n

    We heard over and over about how inequality affects outcomes for people. Whether it is income or social inequality; gender or age; or even just a matter of where you live. Inequality means the difference between life and death; between suffering and a healthy life. The many survivors who spoke today made this clear.<\/p>\n

    Yes, we need to analyse the data. Yes, we need to talk about policies and programmes. And yes, we need to delve into technicalities.<\/p>\n

    But, among this, we cannot forget that we are talking about real people.<\/p>\n

    It is people who will suffer, if we do nothing, and let these trends continue.<\/p>\n

    And it is people whose lives could be saved by our actions.<\/p>\n

    So, excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, <\/em><\/p>\n

    I think we now have a clearer vision, of what this High-Level Meeting, on 27 September, can achieve.<\/p>\n

    And, we achieved a lot today.<\/p>\n

    Stories were shared. Questions were asked. Calls to action were made.<\/p>\n

    But if we want this High-Level Meeting to mark a turning point, we all need to do even more.<\/p>\n

    Member States must now agree a strong, action-oriented political declaration. But it cannot stop there. As James Chau highlighted this morning, we all have a part to play.<\/p>\n

    I am doing my part by convincing all my interlocutors, my partners to make sure that their Heads of State or their high-level political officials will be in the room on the 27th<\/sup> of September.<\/p>\n

    So, let us keep doing our part, in the fight against NCDs.<\/p>\n

    Let us keep up the pressure \u2013 let us mobilise those around us \u2013 let us raise our voices even louder.<\/p>\n

    Let us give this high-level meeting the best chance possible, to change the course of history, for NCDs.<\/p>\n

    Thank you. <\/em><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

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    Statement by H.E. Mr. Miroslav Laj\u010d\u00e1k, President of the 72nd Session of the ±¬ÁÏÍø General Assembly, at the Closing of the interactive hearing in preparation of the high-level meeting on non-communicable diseases (NCDs)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":204,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[53],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-163332","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-statements","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\nCLOSING: Interactive hearing in preparation of the high-level meeting on non-communicable diseases - General Assembly of the United Nations<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/72\/2018\/07\/06\/closing-interactive-hearing-in-preparation-of-the-high-level-meeting-on-non-communicable-diseases\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"CLOSING: Interactive hearing in preparation of the high-level meeting on non-communicable diseases - General Assembly of the United Nations\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Statement by H.E. 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