As negotiations on the Political Declaration for the UN Summit on Prevention and Control of Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) resume in New York today, an open letter has been drafted by the NCD Alliance [2] to urge leaders to face up to the challenge of NCDs with strong commitments and measurable targets. Leading academic, political and scientific figures have flocked to sign the letter, reproduced below:
NCD Alliance Open Letter
Dear Sir/Madam,
In three weeks Heads of Government and State will meet at the UN for just the second time in
history to confront a global health challenge: the inexorable rise of Non-communicable Diseases
(NCDs). It is an opportunity to rewrite the political manifesto for health to include one of the most
neglected - and yet most important - categories of death and disability.
Every country is battling with the increasing burden of cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic
respiratory disease and diabetes. NCDs are the leading cause of death and disability worldwide. They
entrench poverty and inequalities, and burden already vulnerable health systems.
The failure to respond to this crisis is a political, rather than technical issue. We have the evidence
and cost-effective solutions to prevent and treat NCDs. Political commitments and goals are now
needed to inspire leadership and create a shared vision for all partners to unite around.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has proposed an overall goal to reduce preventable deaths
from NCDs by 25% between 2010 and 2025. If Member States commit to a strong Political
Declaration at the UN High-Level Summit on 19-20th September, this goal is achievable. It will take
increased domestic and international funding; interventions to reduce tobacco use and dietary salt,
sugar, saturated fats and trans-fats; improved access to essential medicines and technologies; and a
multi-sectoral partnership initiative to coordinate follow up action.
The clock is ticking. We urge world leaders to attend the UN Summit and agree a global plan of
action on NCDs.
Signed,
Sir George Alleyne PAHO
Dr Peter Piot LSHTM, UK, Director
Dr Richard Horton The Lancet, editor in chief
Prof. Martin McKee LSHTM, UK
Prof. Jean-Claude Mbanya IDF, President
Dr Eduardo Cazap UICC, President
Prof. Sidney C Smith WHF, President
Dr SB Squire The Union, President
Mike Gapes MP, UK Parliament
Mark Durkan MP, UK Parliament
Keith Vaz MP, UK Parliament
George Howarth MP, UK Parliament
Fiona Hall MEP, Leader of the UK Liberal Democrats in the EP
Sir George Alberti University of Newcastle, UK
João Manuel Valente Nabais President Elect IDF Europe
Dr Neil Munro Chelsea & Westminster Hospital, UK
Prof. Lawrence Leiter St Michael's Health Centre, Canada
Anne-Marie Felton, FEND President, IDF Vice-President
Deirdre Kyne Grzebalski, FEND Chairman
Prof Tadej Battelino University of Ljubljana
Prof Peter Schwarz University of Dresden
Prof. Philippe Halban University of Geneva, Alliance for European Diabetes Research
Prof. Stephan Matthaei President, German Diabetes Association
Prof. Oliver Schnell University of Munich
Dr Johan Wens UA, Belgium
Prof. Kari Harno Adjunct Professor, Kolumbus, Finland
Prof. Pierre Lefebvre IDF
Prof. Philip Home Professor Diabetes Medicine, Newcastle University
Prof. Thomas Kubiak University of Mainz
Prof. Gisela Drews University of Tuebingen
Dr Michael Huptas Member of German Diabetes Association
Dr Joachim Downar Member of German Diabetes Association
Dr Frank Best Member of German Diabetes Association
Dr Andreas Klinge Member of German Diabetes Association
Dr Astrid Tombek Member of German Diabetes Association
Debbie Jones Bermuda Hospitals/ Vice-President IDF
Dr Peter Weyrich Member of German Diabetes Association
Dr Andrea Näke University of Dresden, Germany
Dr Ilana Harman-Boehm Soroka University Medical Center, Israel
Anne Belton IDF, Vice-President
Sarah Ludford MEP/ European Coalition for Diabetes
Dr Linda M. Siminerio University of Pittsburgh Diabetes Institute, Director
Prof. Roy Taylor Newcastle University
Chris Delicata IDF Europe
Dr Pablo Aschner Colombian Diabetes Association, Scientific Sub-Director
Prof. Paul Valensi Jean Verdier Hospital, Paris, France
Kristin De Backer FEND, Membership Secretary & Conference Registrar
Michaela Berger Diabetes DE, Board Member
Dr Gillian Hood NHS, UK
Dr Ralf Lobmann Klinikum, Stuttgart, Germany
Prof. Hans-Peter Hammes University of Heidelberg, Germany
Marianne Lundberg Lund University, Sweden - Diabetes Nurse
Prof. Bert Vrijhoef Maastricht University, Netherlands
Natalya Tukalevskaya, Diabetes Association of Kazakhstan, President
Natalia Piana Healthy Lifestyle Institute, University of Perugia, Italy
Prof. Temel Yilmaz, Turkish Diabetes Foundation
Prof. Paul Zimmet Baker IDI, Australia
Andrzej Bauman President, Polish Diabetes Association
Dr Unn-Britt Johansson Sophiahemmet Högskola, Sweden
Lurline Less IDF, Chair of NAC Region
Dr Silver K Bahendeka IDF, Chair of Africa Region
Niti Pall Pathfinder Healthcare Developments, member of Diabetes UK
Luís Gardete-Correia Diabetes Assoc. Portugal (President)
Chantal Montreuil Policlinique Médicale Universitaire, Lausanne (CH)
José-Manuel Boavida Diabetes Assoc. Portugal
Marek Balicki MP, Poland
Prof. Aldo Maldonato Rome "La Sapienza" University
Selda Gedik FEND/Diabetes Nursing Association Turkey
Goustova Elvira Russian Diabetes Federation
Michael Nauck Diabetes Centre, Bad Lautenberg, Germany
Vida Augustiniene President of the Lithuanian Diabetes Association
Hon. Judi Moylan Parliament of Australia
Sir Michael Hirst IDF, President Elect
Jacqueline Herbst FEND, Executive Member
Svetlana Mamutova, Diabetes Association Kyrgyzstan
Liudmyla Petrenko, Diabetes Association Ukraine (President)
Natalia Vlasenko Kyiv, Charity "Diabetic", Chairman
V. G. Serdiuk, Council of Protecting the Patients, Ukraine
Françoise Pivcevic, APHP, France
Soteris Yiangou, Cyprus Diabetic Association
Prof. Innes Asher University of Auckland - Australia, Chair of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood
Dr Adrian Stoev Bulgarian Assoc. of Patients with Diabetes, President
Prof. Angus Forbes King's College London (Dep. Of Primary and Intermediate Care)/ FEND Chair in Clinical Diabetes Nursing
Dr Rob Moodie Nossal Institute, Chair of Global Health
Srinath Reddy Public Health Foundation India, President
Dr Sanchia Aranda University of Melbourne, Professorial Fellow
Dr Mary Gospodarowicz Princess Margaret Hospital, Medical Director
Dr Xi-Shan Hao Executive President, Chinese Anti-Cancer Association
Dr David Hill Cancer Council Victoria
Prof. Dr. Ulrich Kleeberg Haemetologisch-Onkologische Praxis Altona
Dr Felicia Knaul President, Harvard Global Equity Initiative
Dr Arun Kurkure President, Indian Cancer Society
Prof. M. Kutluk Turkish Association for Cancer Research & Control
Fred Mickelson Corral Creek Consultants, Inc. - Newberg
Dr Twalib Ngoma CEO, Ocean Road Cancer Institute
Dr Luiz Santini R. Da Silva INCA Instituto Nacional de Cancer
Dr Kazuo Tajima Director, Aichi Cancer Center
Douglas E. Ulman President, Lance Armstrong Foundation
Dr Harri Vertio CEO, Cancer Society of Finland
Miri Ziv Director General, Israel Cancer Association
Dr Khadel Jamal Director, Radiation Oncology Residency Program, King Hussein Cancer Center
Cary Adams, UICC, CEO
Dr Julie Sarah Torode, UICC, Deputy CEO
Manny Hernandez, Diabetes Hands Foundation, President/ Co-Founder
Scott K. Johnson, Blogger/Diabetes activist
Dr Druba Singh, SEAR, Chair
Mrs Riva Greenberg, Speaker, Patient Expert Health Coach
Mr Hans Stam, European Heart Network (EHN), President
Tony Duncan, Heart Foundation, New Zealand, Chief Executive
Dr Kinsley Kola Akinroye, African Heart Network, President / Nigerian Heart
Mr. Ivo Vajgl, MEP
Adrian Sanders, MP UK Parliament, Chair of All Party Parliamentary Group
Ann Keeling, IDF CEO
Dr Nils Billo, The Union, CEO
Johanna Ralston, WHF CEO