Excellencies, dear colleagues, ladies and gentlemen,<\/em><\/p>\nWe are here to talk about non-communicable diseases.<\/p>\n
For two main reasons:<\/p>\n
One, because we are seeing extremely worrying trends.<\/p>\n
And two, because we need to do something about that.<\/p>\n
On 27 September, the General Assembly will hold its third high-level meeting on the prevention and control of NCDs.<\/p>\n
And our job here, today, is to give it the best chance possible, to succeed.<\/p>\n
Before we start our discussions, I will make a few points.<\/p>\n
First, I want to talk about the scale of this challenge.<\/p>\n
It is massive.<\/p>\n
NCDs \u2013 including cancer, heart disease, stroke and diabetes \u2013 have become our biggest health threat.<\/p>\n
For the first time in history, they are killing more people than infectious diseases. In fact, NCDs are now responsible for two thirds of all global deaths.<\/p>\n
And, 15 million people with NCDs die per year before they reach 70.<\/p>\n
But we need to be clear on something: this is not a phenomenon we must accept.<\/p>\n
Because, the fact is: many NCDs are preventable.<\/p>\n
Which means we can take direct action, to change these trends.<\/p>\n
And some of us already have.<\/p>\n
Limits on the use of tobacco\u2026. Prohibitions on sugary drinks and food in schools\u2026. The building of new cycle tracks, in cities\u2026.Or campaigns to promote mental health services.<\/p>\n
These are the kind of efforts we have seen from governments and NGOs alike \u2013 in order to turn the tide, on NCDs.<\/p>\n
And they have brought about positive results.<\/p>\n
But, unfortunately, we have not seen enough of them.<\/p>\n
That is why we should use today\u2019s meeting to showcase best practices. And brainstorm on how we can scale them up.<\/p>\n
As my second point, I want to highlight a major challenge.<\/p>\n
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development includes a target to reduce premature deaths from NCDs by one third.<\/p>\n
Sadly, we are not on track to meet it, by the 2030 deadline.<\/p>\n
People of all age groups, regions and countries can be affected by non-communicable diseases.<\/p>\n
But there are many things, which increase the risk.<\/p>\n
For example, having an unhealthy diet\u2026. not doing any exercise\u2026. smoking\u2026.. living in a polluted city\u2026.<\/p>\n
\u2026Or, simply, being poor.<\/p>\n
Poverty significantly increases the chance of developing an NCD \u2013 and the chance of dying from it.<\/p>\n
Over 85% of \u201cpremature\u201d deaths happen in low and middle-income countries.<\/p>\n
And this is a double threat. Not only does poverty make NCDs more destructive, but the rapid rise in NCDs could, in turn, hamper efforts to reduce poverty.<\/p>\n
According to Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDP, between 2010 and 2030, the financial toll of NCDs could end up being as high as 20 trillion US dollars, for lower middle-income countries.<\/p>\n
That is a huge amount of money. And it is money that could, otherwise, be spent on fighting poverty.<\/p>\n
So, more investment is crucial.<\/p>\n
It can save lives. And it can save money.<\/p>\n
A recent report by the World Health Organization showed that more investment in prevention and treatment would mean that, by 2030, 8 million more people would survive NCDs.<\/p>\n
And, in the same period, the world\u2019s poorest countries could gain 350 billion US dollars.<\/p>\n
So, as you can see, this is a serious return on investment.<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_testimonial _builder_version=”3.6″ author=”MIROSLAV LAJ\u010c\u00c1K” portrait_url=”http:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/72\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/51\/2017\/08\/PGA72-small.jpg” border_style=”solid” job_title=”President of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ General Assembly” quote_icon_background_color=”#f5f5f5″ background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial”]<\/p>\n
Poverty significantly increases the chance of developing an NCD \u2013 and the chance of dying from it.
\nOver 85% of \u201cpremature\u201d deaths happen in low and middle-income countries.
\nAnd this is a double threat. Not only does poverty make NCDs more destructive, but the rapid rise in NCDs could, in turn, hamper efforts to reduce poverty. <\/span><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_testimonial][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.6″ border_style=”solid” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial”]<\/p>\n
As my final point, I want to stress how crucial the High-level Meeting, on September 27, will be.<\/p>\n
It will bring Heads of State and Government from all over the world together on this issue.<\/p>\n
And, it can act as a\u00a0turning point.<\/p>\n
When we look back, many years from now, I\u00a0hope that we will view the high-level meeting as the moment when we changed our global response to NCDs….. for the better…and for good.<\/p>\n
As President of the General Assembly, I will do everything I can to make the meeting a success.<\/p>\n
Today\u2019s hearing is an important step on this road. It is an opportunity to bring experiences and best practices from the ground.<\/p>\n
We can hear from different stakeholders, who are crucial to this issue – including civil society representatives, business actors, medical researchers and others.<\/p>\n
We can listen to the human stories, which will show the benefits of investment in preventing and treating NCDs.<\/p>\n
We can learn more about what we all stand to lose, if we continue as we are.<\/p>\n
And we can give the high-level meeting the best chance possible to change how NCDs affect our world.<\/p>\n
So Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,<\/p>\n
I want to conclude by thanking the World Health Organization, for supporting today\u2019s event \u2013 and for the pioneering work it is doing to help countries to prevent and treat NCDs.<\/p>\n
And, let us all do our own part here, today.<\/p>\n
Let us bring different ideas and perspectives to the table.<\/p>\n
Let us make this hearing as interactive as possible.<\/p>\n
And let us listen to \u2013 and learn from \u2013 those on the frontlines of the fight against NCDs.<\/p>\n
I thank you. <\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Statement by H.E. Mr. Miroslav Laj\u010d\u00e1k, President of the 72nd Session of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ General Assembly, at Civil Society Hearing in Preparation for 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-163227","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-statements","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\n
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