NCD alliance
The International Diabetes Federation is partnering with the World Heart Federation and the International Union Against Cancer to push for international action to combat the global epidemic of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer.
The three leading federations concerned with Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs) have formed a partnership in recognition of the strong overlapping risk factors between diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer. “Diabetes has multiple risk factors and leads to a variety of complications” says Ann Keeling, CEO of the International Diabetes Federation. “Our federations are calling on international donors to fund essential medications related to these conditions. We are also calling for integrated primary health services that can address the needs of people living with diabetes and all other non-communicable diseases.”
Together, the three federations have a global network that comprises 730 member associations in over 170 countries. By forming an alliance the organizations can work together from the grassroots to the global level to address the growing NCD epidemic.
The membership base of the three federations gives the alliance a unique strength that has allowed it to successfully influence the international development agenda. One example was the declaration of the recent UN ECOSOC High-Level Segment. The high-profile advocacy efforts of the alliance resulted in ECOSOC, the leading UN body for economic and social development, recognizing diabetes as a “chronic, debilitating and costly disease associated with severe complications” and calling NCDs a “leading threat to human health and development.”
The alliance has produced its first report titled “Time To Act: The Global Emergency of NCDs”. The report is based on a joint advocacy event held by the three federations at the 62nd World Health assembly.
