August 2011

July at a Glance

Ever since the decision to hold the UN Summit was taken in May 2010, debates and discussions have centered upon the outcome and vision for Summit success. After fourteen months of tireless and determined advocacy, July was the month when the details of the Political Declaration (which was previously defined as the Outcomes Document) were intensely negotiated by UN Member States in New York. We have seen lengthy debates on the issues we have been fighting for and week after week it has been good to see UN Member States and political groups of countries forming views on NCD prevention and control.

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Negotiation Process in New York Stalled

The Outcomes Document for the UN High-Level Summit is now officially a “Political Declaration” instead. UN commentators describe this as being stronger than the previous definition. Six weeks after the Zero Draft of the document was first released, negotiations stalled in New York and were postponed until the beginning of September because Member States were unable to reach consensus. We understand key areas of contention are the inclusion of measureable and timebound targets, essential medicines and technologies, resources and financing mechanisms, the creation of a Partnership between stakeholders to drive implementation and accountability, addressing mental health, taxes on tobacco and the definition of NCDs as an epidemic.

We now have 37 days to tell Member States loud and clear that we expect them to respect the right to health of the people they represent. They need to hear that we are angry at these delays and expect them to get serious and reach consensus on time-bound commitments to action. Take immediate direct action with letters, petitions, meetings, opinion pieces, public demonstrations, social media…Whatever it takes!

In order to keep you up-to-date with the latest developments, we will send you a special issue of the Advocacy to Action newsletter once the negotiations have come to an end and the Draft Political Declaration is finalized. The final version will only be agreed upon and made available after the Summit itself.

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Details of the UN Summit

All eyes are now focused on September. While many details of the Summit are still being finalised, we thought we would share current information.

Timetable:

Monday 19th September:
09:00-10:00: Opening Plenary Session
10:00-13:00: Roundtable 1 – The Rising Incidence, developmental and other challenges and the social and economic impact of NCDs and their risk factors
15:00-18:00: Roundtable 2 – Strengthening national capacities, as well as appropriate policies, to address prevention and control of NCDs

Tuesday 20th September:
10:00-13:00: Roundtable 3 – Fostering international cooperation, as well as coordinating to address NCDs
15:16:00: Closing Plenary Session

Civil Society Representation: A preliminary invitation email for the Summit has now been sent to civil society representatives. The Civil Society Task Force has been working closely with WHO and the Office of the President of the General Assembly on this. It has been a lengthy process and ideally, NGOs would have been notified earlier. Each NGO that registered for the Civil Society Hearing and the Summit in April has been allocated 2 passes Due to space and security issues, this pass does not guarantee access to the Summit plenary sessions or roundtables – an additional selection process is currently underway for this. 

Speakers: As yet, the UN has not released the list of speakers for the Summit. The Civil Society Task Force has been active in supporting the selection process and we expect the list shortly. There will be one civil society speaker at the opening plenary session. In order to promote interactive and substantive discussions, participation in each roundtable will include Member States, observers, and representatives of entities of the United Nations system, civil society and the private sector. We understand that there will be 30 civil society representatives at each roundtable session, and 5 civil society speakers per roundtable. The final choice of both NGOs admitted and speakers rests with the Office of the President of the General Assembly. The closing plenary session will be a formal session, and will present summaries of the 3 roundtables and the Political Declaration will be adopted by Member States.

Side Events: There will be many side events during the week of the Summit, to maximise the opportunity. The NCD Alliance is arranging a NGO Briefing on Saturday 17th September. This will provide the NCD NGO community with an orientation of the UN Summit process and define NGO tactics for influencing last minute negotiations on the Political Declaration; and looking ahead post—September and the role of civil society.

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Are You on Your Country Delegation?

The best way for civil society to attend the UN Summit and have an impact is by being included in national delegations. Please urge your government to include NGOs on their delegation to the Summit. Will you be part of a delegation or do you know about another organisation who will? Inform us at unsummit@idf.org and we will provide you with information and put you in touch with other civil society members representing diabetes or other NCDs.

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IDF to Launch New Global Diabetes Figures Days Before the Summit

IDF’s Diabetes Atlas is the authoritative source of data on the global diabetes epidemic. We will be launching the headline figures on global diabetes prevalence for 2011 at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) Annual Meeting from 12-16 September in Lisbon, Portugal. The three statistics to be released will be the global estimates of diabetes prevalence, deaths attributable to diabetes and healthcare expenditure. The launch takes place just days before the UN Summit on NCDs, and will be a powerful reminder to world leaders of the evidence for action on diabetes and NCDs. Refer to this link for more information.

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Save the Date and Celebrate!

IDF is taking the lead on a public celebration of the NCD Summit in Central Park, New York on the afternoon of the 18th September. This event aims to raise public awareness of the Summit and of diabetes and the other NCDs. We want political leaders gathering in New York to see that people care about NCDs and want action from their politicians after the Summit.

Be part of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to show your support for our fight against diabetes and other non-communicable diseases (cancer, heart and chronic respiratory disease).

Activities include Team Type 1 cycling event, hula hooping, rope jumping, frisbee, and dancing, to name but a few.

If you can’t get to New York, why not create your own event and join other capitals in the global live transmission? You can hold mass pledges for the IDF International Charter of Rights and hosts numerous events focused on physical activity! Contact us for local NCD groups you can join forces with in planning this global event. Drop us a line at communications@idf.org so we can add your event to the global celebrations.

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Star-Spangled Advocacy in Action

Over 80 diabetes advocates, bloggers, health practitioners and a sports celebrity were inspired by the Advocacy Toolkit to write and send their own letter to United States President Barack Obama. The letter, which has now been delivered to the White House, urges the American President to attend and take a leading role in the UN Summit on the prevention and control of NCDs. Well done to all the signatories!

If you are inspired by this action, please open the Advocacy Toolkit and start writing your own letter. If you want to share an example of your latest advocacy in view of the UN Summit, please drop us a line at unsummit@idf.org

Read the letter to the President of the United States.

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Summary of Events in July

• 11-14 July: The First East Africa Diabetes Summit was organised by the IDF Africa Region, hosted by the Ministry of Health of the Government of the Republic of Uganda, and supported by the East African Community (EAC). IDF President Jean Claude Mbanya gave the keynote speech. The Summit concluded with the endorsement of a Call to Action which represents the priorities of the EAC and aims to inform preparations for the UN Summit on NCDs.

• 15-16 July: IDF Vice President Kaushik Ramaiya gave the keynote speech at the NCD Alliance co-hosted event “HIV and Health Systems: Linking to Chronic Diseases” at the International AIDS Society Meeting in Rome, Italy. The meeting focused on the synergies between HIV/AIDS and NCDs.

• 21 July: While in China, IDF President Jean Claude Mbanya was the special guest on the American social media diabetes advocacy radio blog show #DSMA Live. The programme addressed diabetes in China, the forthcoming UN Summit and World Diabetes Day plans.

• 22 July: In Beijing, Jean Claude Mbanya gave the opening speech and plenary lecture at the 3rd Scientific Meeting of the Asian Association for the Study of Diabetes.

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Upcoming Events

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