On 15 December, UN Member States adopted the Political Declaration of the fourth high-level meeting (HLM) of the General Assembly on the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and the promotion of mental health and well-being. Titled "Equity and integration: transforming lives and livelihoods through leadership and action on noncommunicable diseases and the promotion of mental health and well-being", the political declaration is the first such declaration addressing NCDs and mental health together. Additionally, for the first time, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia were explicitly mentioned within the context of NCDS.
The declaration is the outcome of the intergovernmental negotiations following the HLM on 25 September 2025 at which the Political Declaration failed to receive the unanimous support of Member States, which was required for it to pass. This led to a period of procedural deliberation, after which the political declaration was retabled for a vote this week. The declaration passed by 175 votes in favour, with two against and one abstention. The full text of the political declaration is available at: