Shaping Narratives, Driving Action: The 2nd WHO Symposium on Meaningful Engagement of People Living with NCDs, Mental Health, and Neurological Conditions

The WHO Global Coordination Mechanism on NCDs (GCM/NCD) will host the 2nd WHO Symposium on Meaningful Engagement on 5th December 2024 — a 90-minute webinar dedicated to advancing collective, impactful advocacy in preparation for the 4th UN High-Level Meeting (HLM4) on the Prevention and Control of NCDs, set for September 2025.

Building on the successes of the first Symposium in May 2024, this follow-up event is dedicated to amplifying priority messages of people with lived experience. At the Symposium, participants will jointly:

• refine and finalize a collective set of key advocacy messages on behalf of the global PWLE community leading into the UN HLM4;
• review a proposed action plan presented by the Symposium steering committee; and 
• spark new leadership and collaboration across Symposium participants into 2025.

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Meaningful engagement of people with lived experience

The first Symposium meeting in May 2024 convened more than 300 participants and provided a platform for participants to share insights and spotlight gaps in global, regional and national NCD and mental health advocacy. 

Since then, a group of 9 PWLE experts with the Symposium Steering Committee hosted by the WHO Global Coordination Mechanism on NCDs (GCM/NCD) has drafted key advocacy messages and an action plan informed by the inputs of the PWLE community. These living documents are designed to represent the priorities of those with lived experience and unify global advocacy efforts throughout HLM4 preparatory activities in 2025. 

Missed the First Meeting? Read the daily recaps here:

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WHO Symposium on Meaningful Engagement: Day 1 Recap

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WHO Symposium on Meaningful Engagement: Day 2 Recap

Symposium 2 Online Consultation Process (18 November – 3 December)

From 18 November to 15 December 15, participants can provide feedback on the key advocacy messages and action plan ahead of the Symposium 2 webinars tough an online survey. Additional feedback mechanisms will be available during the meeting to further shape the outcomes of the preparatory process.

The online consultation will be available on KAP and through the online Symposium communities starting the week of 18 November. 

Knowledge Contribution, Collaboration and Engagement Opportunities

In collaboration with the GCM Secretariat, the Symposium Steering Committee has launched several opportunities for learning, knowledge collaboration, co-creation and promotion across different channels including:

• Global LinkedIn Community of PWLE: Informal spaces for connecting with a global network of advocates, experts, and stakeholders.
• Thematic Collections on the Knowledge Action Portal (KAP): Opportunity for knowledge collaboration and promotion within a global multistakeholder platform

Join Us on December 5!

Whether you’re a PWLE advocate, researcher, or policy-maker, your input is essential to shaping a coordinated, inclusive global response to NCDs and mental health challenges. Be part of this dynamic, impactful conversation to ensure a future where every voice counts.

To enhance accessibility across regions, two identical webinars will be hosted at the following times: 8:00-9:30 CET and 16:00-17:30 CET

Click here to register for the morning session 8:00-9:30 CET

Click here to register for the afternoon session 16:00-17:30 CET

Click here to join the Global PWLE Community on Linkedin

Access the Community Feedback Form Here

Download the draft Key Advocacy Messages Here

For questions and support requests for the WHO Symposium, please contact us at gcmncd@who.int.