PREVENTING NCDS

Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) are now regarded by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the most pressing health concern worldwide, accounting for 71% of all deaths globally. NCDs claim more lives globally than any other disease, yet there is very little funding allocated to their prevention. This is changing.

In early 2018, the WHO released the first Global Action Plan on Physical Activity, urging governments and the health sector to take ownership of the issue. Promoting sport and physical activity is an important aspect of UNESCO’s mandate and the Youth and Sport Task Force is already gaining interest from different organizations as a great resource to begin promoting and encouraging action to prevent NCDs.

Each year, 15 million people globally die from an NCD that could have been prevented; physical activity is listed as a key preventer by the World Health Organization.

In June 2018, the UNESCO Youth and Sport Task Force was explicitly included in the discussions as part of the Asian Development Bank Innovations and Actions Against NCDs Week in Manila, Philippines. The panel was moderated by the Islamic Development Bank.