June 2011

May at a Glance

The Decisive Moment

On 13th May, we celebrated the one year anniversary of the vote to hold the UN Summit. In one short year we have made significant progress in our campaign to put diabetes and NCDs at the heart of the global health and development agenda. Now we must look ahead to the upcoming weeks which will be critical in determining the success of the Summit. The Outcomes Document negotiations have started, an online consultation for the Summit has been launched, and the Civil Society Hearing in New York is just round the corner. We need your advocacy at national and regional levels NOW - there is no better time to unite and take action!
 

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Reminder: Demand Action for Diabetes and NCDs in the Online Consultation for the Summit

To inform the proceedings and outcomes of the Civil Society Hearing (16 June) and the UN Summit (19-20 September), an official online consultation has been launched on the WHO website. This is your chance to tell political leaders to take action NOW on diabetes and NCDS, end the suffering and forge a healthier future for our planet. It is an opportunity for ALL IDF Member Associations and the NCD community as a whole to tell world leaders the future action needed to stall the spiralling epidemic. We urge you to make your voice heard, contribute your views to the Summit, and say loud and clear that neglect of diabetes and NCDs is an OUTRAGE. Time is tight - the deadline for written statements is June 10th.

ACTION: Participate in the Online Consultation before 10th June 

The NCD Alliance has produced a briefing on the online consultation and key messages to use in your response. We urge you to:

- Act: Complete the online form by Friday 10th June
- Broadcast: Spread the word of the consultation through your networks, colleagues, friends, social media channels
- Share: Send a copy of your submission to the NCD Alliance: info@ncdalliance.org

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100 Days to Act on NCDs

We are entering the 100 Day Countdown to the UN Summit!

Be part of the WHO consultation on NCDs and check out the NCD Alliance's asks for the Summit.

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World Health Assembly, Geneva

In May, the World Health Assembly (WHA), the decision-making body of the World Health Organization (WHO), endorsed the Moscow Declaration negotiated in April this year. As a result, all 193 WHO Member States committed themselves to address NCDs.

The WHA Resolution also urges all WHO Member States to send their Heads of Government/State to the NCD Summit and to include civil society members in their national delegations.

Read the Resolution.

ACTION: Secure the Attendance of Your Head of Government/State at the Summit

• If you have not done so, please urge your Head of Government/State to attend the Summit by sending a letter available on our website.

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NCD Alliance Launch ‘Pocket Guide’ of the Proposed Outcomes Document

The NCD Alliance recently released a summarised ‘pocket guide’ to the Proposed Outcomes Document. This condenses the 34 recommendations into 10 headline recommendations we want to see in the final Outcomes Document. Over the next few critical weeks, this provides the script for country-level advocacy for the NCD civil society movement. Read and download it.

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Outcomes Document Negotiations

We now know the timetable for Outcomes Document negotiations. The process for producing a Zero Draft has already begun. The co-facilitators will begin official negotiations on the Zero Draft in New York on 23rd June – just one week after the Civil Society Hearing. By 31st July, the draft Outcomes Document is expected to be finalised. Therefore, the window of opportunity to influence its content is very tight. We need you to take action NOW.

ACTION: Influence the Zero Draft Outcomes Document

Here is how you can influence the drafting process at country-level:

• Contact your Ministry of Health and/ or Ministry of Foreign Affairs to find out who is engaging in the negotiations both in your capital city and in New York. Use the messages in the NCD Alliance Pocket Proposed Outcomes Document as commitments we want included in the final text.
• Contact your Permanent Representative to the UN in New York and the Health Attaché to share the NCD Alliance Pocket Proposed Outcomes Document.
• Get onto your Government delegation – this is your best chance to get into the Summit and influence the Outcomes Document.
• Urge your government officials to give strong instructions to their missions in New York to get their experts in the negotiating room to ensure progressive country positions are articulated and defended during the negotiations. Also, urge them to follow the negotiations from a distance.  

Please share any country-level intelligence you have with us at unsummit@idf.org. 

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Civil Society Hearing, New York

On 16th June, the Civil Society Hearing will take place at the UN headquarters in New York. During the day, civil society members will discuss solutions for the NCD epidemic and the growing impacts of its four main risk factors. Those discussions will be attended by country representatives and their conclusions will be shared with all UN member states.

The Hearing on 16 June is going to address three issues:

• What role can civil society play in NCD prevention and control and how this can be most effective?
• What lessons are there from previous efforts to address global health and development challenges?
• What specific outcomes do we want to see recommended in the draft outcomes document for the September high-level meeting on NCDs?

We are pleased to announce that IDF Vice President Ruth Colagiuri is among the confirmed panellists and a number of other diabetes advocates will be called on to make interventions from the floor.

Read more information on the Hearing.

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Summary of Events in May

• 5-7 May: IDF and the University of Sydney co-hosted a World Universities Network workshop on NCDs and Climate Change in Sydney. IDF Vice President Ruth Colagiuri headed the proceedings. The Workshop identified five priority areas for research. Read the Final Communiqué.
• 15 May: IDF President Jean Claude Mbanya gave the keynote speech at the Commonwealth Health Ministers Meeting in Geneva. The theme of the meeting was ‘NCDs – A Priority for the Commonwealth’. Read more about the event and IDF President’s speech.
• 16 May: The NCD Alliance co-hosted a high profile side event with The Lancet at the World Health Assembly in Geneva. Entitled ‘Working Together for Integrated Action and a Successful UN Summit’, panellists discussed priority asks for the Summit and mechanisms required to drive NCD progress. Speakers included IDF CEO and NCD Alliance Chair Ann Keeling.  Listen to the audio of the event and read more.
• 23 May: The NCD Alliance, Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat held a joint side event highlighting the growing burden of NCDs in indigenous peoples at the UN’s Tenth Session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in New York. Read more here.
• 26 May: IDF held a teleconference for our 220 Member Associations to update on Summit preparations and galvanise and coordinate advocacy efforts in the remaining weeks left. 

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Upcoming Events

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