With just 5 years to go before the 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals, WHO/Europe has identified 25 interventions that can help countries accelerate progress towards their health commitments. These NCD “quick buys” are proven and cost-effective interventions that can deliver public health impact within 5 years. Identified by WHO/Europe noncommunicable disease (NCD) experts and published in “The Lancet Regional Health – Europe”, the study adds the dimension of time to WHO’s established NCD “best buys” and other recommended interventions.

Acknowledging the challenges faced by health ministries and policy-makers in advancing public health and delivering tangible positive policy outcomes, WHO/Europe sought to offer guidance and motivation to policy-makers deciding on interventions that align with short-term political cycles.

While tackling the significant health and economic burden of chronic diseases requires comprehensive approaches, these findings offer new evidence and motivation to policy-makers to implement policies that can show impact, particularly within a single political term.

The quick buys also offer the potential to accelerate progress towards global health targets, particularly the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal of reducing premature NCD mortality by one 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.