General Assembly Sixty-sixth session
High-level Meeting of the General Assembly on the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases
New York, 19-20 September 2011
Plenary Statement by Dr Stefan Seebacher, Health Department, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
Mr Chairman,
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies appreciates the opportunity to address the plenary on this agenda item.
No one can doubt today that NCDs are a leading threat to health and development. Yet, these diseases could be preventable by eliminating shared risk factors. The impact of noncommunicable diseases affects every country, however it is larger in middle and low income countries where premature deaths caused by NCDs carry huge economic and social burden.
Whilst effective treatment for NCDs is essential, national policies on early action and prevention are critical. Preventing the onset of chronic illness will ultimately save governments’ valuable time and money and relieve the burden on often overstretched, healthcare resources. The development of better and more accessible screening programmes combined with wider public awareness could also dramatically reduce the number of NCD related deaths.
Humanitarian organizations such as the Red Cross Red Crescent, whose staff and volunteers work closely with local communities, play an enormous role in bringing about changes in behaviour and attitudes towards health and lifestyle.
We at the IFRC strongly believe that including NCDs in our health programmes is consistent with our Red Cross Red Crescent Strategy 2020 to enable healthy and safe living. We have developed our Framework for NCDs Prevention and Control. The framework focuses on prevention, innovation & research, monitoring & evaluation, partnership and advocacy.
Prevention has to start at the community level, with people being better informed and better equipped to take care of their own health.
And this is precisely where our National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies can play a critical role in contributing to this global effort. In their auxiliary role to governments, National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies could work hand in hand with national authorities and other health actors to provide qualitative programmes and services. Such contribution, largely based on prevention would improve the inequitable conditions of daily living through resilience-based and community-based health programming in line with WHO 2008-2013 Plan on NCDs with high emphasis on prevention.
The volunteer potential remains vital for the implementation of any NCD plan at country level within a community-based health approach with a special focus on a holistic approach rather than a vertical disease intervention.
The Red Cross Red Crescent National Societies has a long history of disease prevention and health promotion, and they are, in their complementary role to the government, in a unique position to be pioneers in implementing NCDs prevention programmes using a holistic health approach.
Thank you.