A historic step for global health: UN adopts declaration on NCDs and mental health

The Eightieth United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has adopted a landmark global political declaration to tackle noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and mental health in an integrated way, recognising that conditions like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, chronic respiratory illnesses and mental health disorders are now the leading causes of death, disability and lost opportunity worldwide.

This declaration marks a pivotal shift in global health policy, setting concrete, measurable targets for 2030 and calling on governments to act with urgency, equity and accountability.

The first-ever global outcome targets set out by the declaration to be achieved by 2030 include:

• 150 million fewer tobacco users;
• 150 million more people with hypertension under control;
• 150 million more people with access to mental health care.

The declaration goes beyond health systems, addressing the wider determinants of health – such as air pollution, unhealthy diets, harmful marketing practices, and digital harms – and emphasises that NCDs and mental health must be tackled together, through whole-of-government and whole-of-society collaboration.

This is a huge opportunity to reset global efforts and accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals, especially on reducing premature deaths and promoting well-being for all.

Where JACARDI fits in

JACARDI’s mission aligns directly with this global vision. By advancing evidence-based, integrated prevention and care models for cardiovascular disease and diabetes – key components of the NCD burden – JACARDI helps translate these high-level political commitments into action on the ground.

Our work in harmonising data, strengthening health pathways, supporting policy implementation, and fostering cross-country learning directly contributes to the declaration’s ambitions of measurable impact and equity. With its emphasis on collaboration, scalability, prevention and inclusion, JACARDI is uniquely positioned to support Member States in meeting these targets, bridging research, policy and practice for lasting change.