On 16 October 2022, UNITAR partnered with The Defeat-NCD Partnership to host a high-level panel discussion on Tackling NCD during the COVID-19 Pandemic. The event brought together global leaders to address the interconnected challenges of COVID-19 and non-communicable diseases (NCD). It highlighted the urgent need to shift from rhetoric to action in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 3.4, reducing premature mortality from NCD.

Ms Dechen Wangmo, Minister of Health for Bhutan and President of the 74th World Health Assembly, opened the session with a call to action: “It is time to act now.” Other speakers echoed this sentiment, including Dr Bandar Hajjar, President of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), who underscored a joint action plan with UNITAR to enhance NCD care in low-resource countries through innovative financing and community-level interventions.

Mr Nikhil Seth, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and Executive Director of UNITAR, emphasized UNITAR’s ongoing efforts to support countries like Myanmar, Rwanda, India, and Bhutan in developing costed multi-sectoral NCD action plans. He also highlighted the launch of The Defeat-NCD Marketplace, an initiative to provide affordable, quality-assured NCD medicines and diagnostics to low- and middle-income countries.

Dr Bente Mikkelsen, Director of WHO’s Department of Noncommunicable Diseases, stressed the importance of addressing disruptions in NCD services caused by COVID-19, noting the alignment of The Defeat-NCD Marketplace with WHO’s global strategies on NCD.

The panel included 351 stakeholders, including health ministers from India, Bhutan, the Rwanda, and the Gambia, as well as representatives from the WHO, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and the private sector.

Key outcomes of the discussion included:

• Commitments from governments: Countries like Rwanda and The Gambia shared progress in developing costed NCD action plans, while India reiterated its dedication to reducing NCD mortalities through a national multisectoral plan.
• Support from global institutions: The World Bank and Asian Development Bank pledged continued support for innovative financing, early screening, and primary healthcare integration.
• Private sector engagement: Viatris and other companies expressed readiness to invest in healthcare infrastructure to strengthen systems and tackle NCD.

Mr Mukul Bhola, Director of UNITAR's Division on NCD, Digital Health, and Capacity Building, concluded the session by emphasizing the importance of translating these commitments into tangible actions. He highlighted Rwanda’s five-year costed action plan to benefit 4.8 million people amid the pandemic as an example of progress.

The event underscored the interconnectedness of COVID-19 and NCD, emphasizing that addressing these dual challenges requires a unified, multisectoral response to save lives and achieve global health goals.