WDF and NNF announce new strategic partnership to accelerate NCD prevention and care

World Diabetes Foundation (WDF) and Novo Nordisk Foundation (NNF) have signed a seven-year Partnership Framework Agreement (2024-2030), granting 260 million DKK to WDF to accelerate prevention and care for diabetes and related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in low and middle-income countries (LMICs).

The partnership is guided by the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal target 3.4: to reduce premature mortality from NCDs by one-third through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being. 

The Partnership Agreement will expand the scope and impact of WDF efforts in countries where the diabetes crisis hits hardest. According to the International Diabetes Federation, 75% of the world’s 537 million adults with diabetes live in LMICs, yet two-thirds of cases go undiagnosed, leading to life-threatening complications, premature deaths, and overwhelmed health systems. NCDs including diabetes cause 74% of total annual deaths globally, and 85% occur in LMICs.

The costs of diabetes and related NCDs on the individual, health systems and societies correlate directly with poverty and barriers to sustainable development. Therefore, the people most impacted by diabetes and its complications are underserved populations including people living in humanitarian settings, women and children, and people living with type 1 diabetes (T1D). While the global NCD response has gained momentum, funding remains insufficient and national efforts under-resourced. 

This calls for foundations and other philanthropies to contribute more and align with national and global frameworks for NCD prevention and care – the WDF-NNF Framework Agreement responds to this critical call to accelerated action. The agreement marks a new phase of the collaboration between the two foundations. The comprehensive, strategic framework will amplify WDF’s efforts to scale up NCD prevention and care.