Statement by HE Mr Gary Quinlan, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations General Assembly regarding Follow-up to the Outcome of the Millennium Summit and Non-communicable Diseases. As delivered 23 November 2010.
Mr President,
I am grateful for the opportunity to address the General Assembly on the important issue of non-communicable diseases, or NCDs.
As the Secretary General’s report (A/65/362) highlights, the global burden of NCDs constitutes one of the major challenges for development in the 21st century, impacting particularly on developing countries.
Cardiovascular diseases, cancer, chronic lung diseases and diabetes have emerged as major public health problems, and the increasing incidence of non-communicable diseases among poor and vulnerable groups is widening health inequities within and between countries.
In Australia’s own immediate region, NCDs are the leading cause of death in the Pacific island countries and territories, where they account for over 75 per cent of deaths every year. Rates of diabetes in the countries of the Pacific are among the highest in the world.
AusAID, Australia’s agency for international development, is working closely with partner countries in our region to lower the incidence and impact of non-communicable disease, including through strengthening national health systems, scaling up preventative health and health promotion programs, and improving access to health services.
In Nauru, Australia has supported the development of legislation to address non-communicable disease risk factors, including a new Tobacco Bill.
In Samoa, we are supporting a program of health promotion and prevention at community and institutional levels.
And in Tonga, we are working to reduce the prevalence of non-communicable disease risk factors, including obesity and tobacco use.
Mr President,
Australia is encouraged that health issues are being allocated an increasingly high priority in the UN’s agenda.
At the launch of the Secretary-General’s Global Strategy on Women’s and Children’s Health, during the MDGs Summit in September, we committed to scale up our efforts to tackle maternal and child health.
In June 2011, ten years after the UN’s first General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS, we will gather to review progress and reaffirm our commitment to achieve universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support.
And the high level meeting on NCDs in September will provide a timely opportunity to consider how to scale-up actions to prevent and control NCDs.
There are many steps we can take to reduce risk factors, and improve access to health care for those affected by NCDs. And it is crucial that the challenge of NCDs is given greater attention in national health plans and development strategies. We must also recognise their chronic nature, and that multi-sectoral efforts over many years will be required before we see change in the incidence of NCDs.
Australia will do our part to help reduce the global burden of non-communicable diseases. We look forward to continuing to play a constructive role in preparations for the September 2011 high level meeting.
Thank you, Mr President.