The proceedings of the WHO SIDS technical meeting on NCDs and mental health will provide the input to the SIDS ministerial conference on the prevention and control of NCDs and mental health, co-hosted by the Government of Barbados on 14–16 June 2023 in a hybrid modality (virtual and in-person in Bridgetown, Barbados). The Conference will set out an ambitious agenda to transform the capability of SIDS countries to proactively respond and effectively deliver health outcomes in relation to NCDs and mental health, and so become a vital partner for reaching SDG target 3.4. The outcome document of the Conference in 2023 will serve as an input into the preparatory process leading to the fourth High-level meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on NCDs in 2025 and to future global summits on mental health.

The ministerial conference in June 2023 will be organized in response to paragraph 75(e) of resolution A/RES/69/15 (SIDS Accelerated Modalities of Action [SAMOA] Pathway), which includes a commitment to “enable cooperation among Small Island Developing States on diseases by using existing international and regional forums to convene joint biennial meetings of ministers of health and other relevant sectors to respond in particular to NCDs”.