- Officials and dignitaries from our Member States
- Partners, colleagues and friends
A very good morning to you all.
Every 2 seconds, someone under the age of 70 dies due to a non-communicable disease (NCD), or a mental health condition. Most of these deaths could have been prevented by providing timely, comprehensive and integrated preventive, curative and palliative health care services. These should be accessible and context appropriate, and supported by policy, legislative and regulatory measures.
In our South-East Asia Region, 62% of all deaths are due to NCDs. 52% of all deaths from NCDs occur below 70 years of age. Estimates from 2020 indicate that the probability of death from the four major noncommunicable disease groups – cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases – is still unacceptably high among those between 30 and 70 years. An estimated 13% of the population of the Region – around 260 million people – live with a mental health condition. Approximately a quarter of deaths and NCDs in the Region are attributed to environmental hazards, including the effects of climate change.
It is important to note that the high burden of NCDS also results in massive economic losses due to the potentially productive years of life lost, and the high out-of-pocket health spending.
I would also like to highlight some of the gains from our collective efforts to prevent and control NCDs, and to promote mental health in the region. The “Implementation roadmap for accelerating the prevention and control of NCDs in South-East Asia 2022–2030” provides strategic direction to guide the Region.
As a response to the Regional Resolution on “SEAHEARTS: Accelerating prevention and control of cardiovascular diseases”, the countries of our Region have collectively committed to place 80 million people with hypertension and diabetes on protocol-based treatment through strengthening primary health care.
The “WHO global report on trends in prevalence of tobacco use 2000–2025” indicate that our Region is on track to reach the 2025 target of a 30% relative reduction in the prevalence of tobacco use.
In combatting the risk factor of an unhealthy diet, six countries in our Region have strengthened food-labelling policies, and five countries have strengthened taxation on sugar sweetened beverages and adopted regulations to eliminate trans fatty acids.
In 2022, our Region’s countries unanimously adopted the “Paro Declaration on universal access to mental health care”, and in 2023 the WHO South-East Asia Region Mental Health Action Plan 2023–2030 was launched.
Responding to the environmental hazards and the effects of climate change, our Region has prioritized mitigating the impact of air pollution and hazardous chemicals, building health care facilities’ resilience to climate change, and strengthening water, sanitation and hygiene in health care. Seven countries have committed to develop climate-resilient and low-carbon health systems.
The Fourth High-level Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (UNHLM-NCD) will provide an opportunity to adopt a new, ambitious and achievable political declaration on NCDs towards 2050. This will serve as an important framework to accelerate the global NCD response for prevention and control from 2025.
As I conclude, I would like to thank each one you for taking the time to participate in this important Consultation. You are all vital stakeholders, with valuable contributions to the NCD and mental health agenda in the South-East Asia Region,
I wish you all a very productive consultation, and I know your important regional inputs will help shape the NCD and mental health agenda towards 2030 and 2050.
Thank you.