The impact of NCDs, their shared risk factors, and complex determinants are one of the most important global health challenges of this century. Responding effectively calls for collaboration across multiple government sectors beyond health. Through a dedicated action framework and case study series, WHO is supporting governments to share knowledge, establish best practices and build capacity and leadership for multisectoral action.
Ministries of health and other government sectors play a key role in developing well-aligned, NCD-specific, sector-wide policies and programmes. To address the structural social, environmental and commercial determinants of NCDs and design effective and equitable NCD prevention and control measures, strong collaborative, cross-governmental, and joined up policy approaches are essential.
The Political Declaration of the 3rd High-Level Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases and WHO’s Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of NCDs (2013-2030) (NCD-GAP) call for enhanced capacities for leadership, coordinated multisectoral action, and multistakeholder partnerships to beat NCDs.
Successful multisectoral action in the context of NCDs and mental health builds on multiple strategic pillars. Strong governance mechanisms form the foundation to establish and institutionalize the principle of multisectoral collaboration and managing associated risks. Leadership at all levels ensures that governments and partners can connect and collaborate across disciplines and sectors. Effective communication, working collaboratively and understanding interconnected agendas form the mindset and ways of working to maintain respectful and accountable relationships. Not least, multisectoral action also requires appropriate resources and personnel, including through dedicated budgets, mechanisms for joint financing, and capacity building initiatives.
Multisectoral action for NCD prevention and the control additionally takes place within the interconnected spheres of social, political, environmental, and commercial determinants of health. Taking these determinants into account, governments implement multisectoral action by addressing risk factors, management of NCDs and mental health conditions, surveillance, and research.
At WHO, the GCM/NCD has developed a framework to guide the global mapping, development and analysis of country case studies on multisectoral action, documenting practices, successes and challenges in the implementation of multisectoral actions for NCD prevention and control and mental health conditions.
Discover how ministries and government actors around the world leverage multisectoral action to design effective NCD prevention and control measures and spur progress towards achieving health and wellbeing for all.
Access the repository on multisectoral action on NCDs and mental health
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