United Nations recognises Alzheimer’s disease as a major disease area
Monday 19 September 2011
On 19-20 September 2011, at the sixty-sixth session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, the Political Declaration of the High-level Meeting of the General Assembly on the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases (NCD) was adopted. This meeting marked only the second in the history of the UN on global health issues. Paragraph 18 of the final political declaration of the summit states that the Heads of State and Government and representatives of States and Governments “recognise that mental and neurological disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease, are an important cause of morbidity and contribute to the global non-communicable disease burden, for which there is a need to provide equitable access to effective programmes and health-care interventions”.
Listed in the Declaration are areas which should be addressed by a “whole-of-government and a whole-of-society effort”. The General Assembly calls for action to:
- Reduce risk factors and create health-promoting environments
- Strengthen national policies and health systems
- Strengthen international cooperation, including collaborative partnerships
- Promote research and development
- Strengthen monitoring and evaluation
Options for strengthening and facilitating multisectoral action for the prevention and control of NCDs through effective partnership are due to be submitted at the sixty-seventh session of the General Assembly at the end of 2012. In addition, a report on the progress achieved in realising the commitments made in the Political Declaration of 20 September 2011 is to be presented at the sixty-eight session of General Assembly.
For further information please see the UN press release entitled “Non-Communicable Diseases Deemed Development Challenge of ‘Epidemic Proportions’ in Political Declaration Adopted During Landmark General Assembly Summit”. The press release includes statements from world leaders and can be found at: http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2011/ga11138.doc.htm