Background
From 13 to 15 December 2022, key global and regional stakeholders and experts from across WHO, UN agencies, nongovernmental organizations and other entities convened in Cairo, Egypt to address strengthening integration of noncommunicable disease (NCD) care in emergency preparedness and response. This is the first in a series of meetings on NCDs and related topics in the run up to the 4th High-level Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on the Prevention and Control of NCDs in 2025 – which will provide an opportunity to adopt a new, ambitious and achievable Political Declaration on NCDs based on evidence, grounded in human rights, that will serve as an important roadmap to advance the global NCD response between 2025 and 2030. This global and regional meeting was organized by the Department of Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health at the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean and WHO headquarters in collaboration with the Departments of Health Systems and Health Emergencies.
The 3-day meeting started with a high-level global meeting on 13 December 2022 and was followed by a regional meeting from 14 to 15 December 2022. On the first day of the meeting, we held a strategic discussion on strengthening integration of NCD care in emergency preparedness, response and recovery. On the second and third days of this meeting, we shifted to a more regional focus where we held discussions on: prioritizing key interventions for strengthening integration of NCD care in emergency preparedness, response and recovery; lessons learnt from the response to the COVID-19 and other pandemics; and country experiences, challenges, opportunities and recommended action stops for strengthening integration of NCD care in emergency preparedness, response and recovery.
Purpose
Drawing on the recommendations on how to strengthen the design and implementation of policies to treat people living with NCDs and to prevent and control their risk factors in humanitarian emergencies, adopted during the 75th session of the World Health Assembly, contributing also to the NCD implementation road map 2023–2030, this meeting aimed to build political momentum, and discussed the development of a comprehensive approach to better include NCDs into emergency preparedness and response plans.
Objectives
Presented WHO efforts to strengthen the integration of NCDs as part of emergency preparedness and response.
Reviewed current NCD-related responses in countries during the COVID-19 pandemic and other emergencies.
Recommended a strategic approach to improve WHO technical assistance to countries across preparedness, response and recovery phases.
Acted as a global kick-off to regional technical meetings before a global high-level meeting later in 2023.
Outcomes
Tailored recommendations to Member States, WHO and international partners for inclusion into country COVID-19 response and other humanitarian response and recovery plans, to strengthen policies, programmes and services for the treatment, prevention and control of NCDs and their related risk factors for people living with NCDs.
Programme
Format
Offered virtual participation, as well as in-person presence in Cairo. The 3-day meeting comprised both a global segment on 13 December 2022 followed by a regional meeting from 14 to 15 December 2022.
Language
The working language of the meeting was English, with interpretation in Arabic provided during the plenary sessions.
