Time to Deliver in Europe: meeting noncommunicable disease targets to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals

The first European high-level conference on NCDs was held in Ashgabat in December 2013. It led to the adoption of the Ashgabat Declaration on the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases in the Context of Health 2020. This year’s conference provided the opportunity to review progress made and decide on the next steps, acknowledging the need for action to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (‎SDGs)‎, with only 11 years left to do so. 

The year 2018 was a milestone for NCDs globally, with a series of high-level meetings addressing the need for more and bolder action. The third United Nations High-level meeting on NCDs set new commitments to meet the SDGs in 2030. The scope of the NCD agenda for SDG target 3.4 was broadened from the original four major disease groups and four major risk factors by the important addition of mental health and air pollution, thereby creating the 5x5 framework. 

This short report sets out some of the key messages and shared learning from the conference.