With just 5 years to go before the 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals, a new paper from WHO/Europe identifies 25 interventions that can help countries accelerate progress towards their health commitments. The paper is being published in the “Lancet Regional Health – Europe” on 24 March and launched at a virtual event.
The “quick buys” are proven and cost-effective interventions that can deliver public health impact within 5 years. Developed by WHO/Europe noncommunicable disease (NCD) experts, the paper adds the dimension of time to the Organization’s established NCD “best buys”.
The authors stress the importance of taking comprehensive approaches to tackle the significant health and economic burden of chronic diseases. At the same time, they acknowledge the challenges faced by health ministries and policy-makers in advancing public health and delivering tangible positive policy outcomes, particularly within a single political term.
The paper’s findings offer guidance to policy-makers deciding on interventions that align with short-term political cycles. However, they also have the potential to accelerate progress towards global health targets, particularly the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal of reducing premature NCD mortality by a third, and to contribute to the discussions at the Fourth High-Level Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on the prevention and control of NCDs in September 2025.
The event will be held in English with Russian interpretation.