Kendra Chow, Senior Policy & Public Affairs Manager at World Cancer Research Fund, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“It’s good to be back in Geneva for the 79th World Health Assembly (WHA79). Hitting the ground running, it’s been a great start to the week, thanks to key events from Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) and NCD Alliance. It’s also been really great to see leadership from Member State governments focusing on economics for well-being and preventing disease before it develops.
As we shift from securing commitments for last year’s Political Declaration on NCDs and Mental Health, and move towards its implementation, it’s been interesting to see more side events and conversations focusing on how to make impact possible going forward. And with the 3rd Dialogue on Sustainable Financing for NCDs happening in Manila in September, investment is top of mind.
Conditions that foster healthy populations also foster healthy economies. Or more simply (as a delegate from Indonesia put it yesterday): ‘health is wealth’. But the pathway of Investment – Implementation – Impact is not a simple one. It will be interesting to see how these conversations will progress throughout the week.
Underlying many of the conversations as well is how to address commercial determinants of health CDOH, and how this is impacting (and increasing) NCD rates globally – pervasively so. Very much looking forward to digging into these conversations more throughout the week.
And I know I always close my reflections at events by noting how wonderful it is to catch up with global health friends while in these spaces… but truly, it is always such a highlight of these events! Wonderful to see friends as we bump into each other in these halls again.”
Other articles about WHA79 on OncoDaily.
