Chair,
One of the remaining challenges regarding the GCM is to define a clear role for non-state actors. We strongly believe non-state actors have an important role to play in the fight against NCD. Lessons learned from other health initiatives illustrate how broad collaboration with non-state actors contributes to public health outcomes.
Traditional state measures, such as legislation and fiscal measures, is in itself not sufficient to achieve our ambitious targets for NCDs by 2025. We need to mobilize partners and their resources.
A global coordination mechanism must provide a genuine platform for non-state actors to engage and contribute on the basis of their own expertise. And importantly; we fully recognize that such engagement must be performed in a way that does not prejudice the integrity and independence of WHO or the role of Member States.
At national level, we have already entered into a structured collaboration with civil society, voluntary sports associations and labour market actors, in order to promote and facilitate action on NCDs. We believe that the GCM should serve to facilitate such engagement also at the global level. We say so recognizing that the NCD issue constitutes a wide, complex and evolving field. It involves a huge and disparate set of government and non-government organizations. There are no simple and clear-cut paths to results.
Additionally, the state of our knowledge about NCDs is constantly evolving. As knowledge shifts, so must the response. One very clear example of this is the health effects of black carbon emissions and other short-lived climate pollutants. According to the Global Burden of Disease study, indoor and outdoor air pollution combined is the second largest risk of mortality globally with over 6 million deaths per year. This is comparable to tobacco related deaths and should be approached with the same resolve.
We have yet to formulate an adequate response to this relatively new knowledge, and believe that the magnitude and seriousness of this growing global health problem calls for more attention from Member States and the WHO.
Thank you.