Purpose
To discuss the advances, challenges, and opportunities for NCD prevention and control, including mental health, and prepare the Region for the 4th United Nations High-level Meeting on NCDs.
Objectives
1. To review the progress towards the global NCD targets and identify the country needs to be able to accelerate this progress.
2. To share practical and successful country experiences on: addressing determinants and strengthening multisectoral policies to reduce NCD modifiable risk factors; strengthening health services for NCDs and mental health, emphasizing primary care and digital health; and strengthening NCD surveillance capacity.
3. To promote regional networking on NCDs and stimulate partnerships and collaboration to advance the NCD agenda.
News
Despite an overall decrease in premature mortality in the Americas, just five countries are on track to achieve the 25% reduction target by 2025
While premature mortality from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as hypertension, diabetes and cancers, has dropped in the Americas over the past decade, from 15.2% in 2010 to 14% in 2021, just five countries of the Region are on track to reach the global target of a 25% reduction in premature mortality from NCDs by 2025 (known as the 25x25 target).
During the Regional Meeting on Noncommunicable Disease Prevention and Control, held from 24-26 March in Brasilia, Brazil, PAHO Director, Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, called on countries to urgently address the key drivers of mortality due to NCDs, which continue to take around 6 million lives each year in the Americas.
Meeting Documents
Agenda
(Last update: 20 March 2025)
Monday, March 24, 2025
Opening session
Moderator: Silvana Luciani, PAHO Unit Chief on Noncommunicable Diseases
9:00 am - Welcome Remarks
- Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, Director, Pan American Health Organization (video message)
- Dr. Christian Morales, PAHO/WHO Country Representative in Brazil
- Representative of the Ministry of Health, Brazil (to be confirmed)
10:00 am - Overview of NCDs in the Americas and PAHO’s work to advance the regional NCD agenda
- Dr. Anselm Hennis, Director of the Department of Noncommunicable Diseases, PAHO
Questions and answers
Session 1: Determinants and risk factors for NCDs
Moderator: Dr. Vanessa Garcia-Larsen, PAHO Unit Chief on Risk Factors and Nutrition.
11:00 am - Panel 1: Addressing determinants and reducing NCD risk factors
- Dr. Miguel Ángel Díaz , Mexico;
- Dr. Carolina Neira, Chile;
- Dr. Phillip Swann, Bahamas;
- Brazil (tbc)
11:30 am - Moderated discussion on determinants and risk factors for NCDs
12:00 pm - Presentation on strategies to address obesity and the WHO Acceleration Plan to Stop Obesity
- Dr. Fabio da Silva Gomes, PAHO regional advisor on nutrition and physical activity
12:15 pm- Panel 2: Country progress with the WHO Acceleration Plan to Stop Obesity
- Dr. Walter Alleyne, Barbados;
- Dr. Elsa Arenas, Panama
12:45 pm - Moderated discussion on obesity prevention
1:00 pm - Group photo and lunch break
Continue Session 1: Determinants and risk factors for NCDs
Moderator: Ms. Rosa Sandoval, PAHO regional advisor on tobacco control
2:00 pm - Overview of strategies and tools for regulatory interventions for NCD risk factors.
- Ms. Rosa Sandoval, PAHO regional advisor on tobacco control
2:15 pm Similar regulatory interventions for tobacco, alcohol and diet: Challenges and opportunities
- Dr. Benn McGrady, WHO Unit Chief on Health Law and Policy (virtual)
Questions and answers
2:45 pm - Legal defense experiences regarding NCD risk factors policies in Latin America, focusing on tobacco packaging and labeling and front-of-package nutrition labeling
- Dr. Oscar Cabrera, O’Neill Institute
3:15 pm - Moderated discussion on similar regulatory interventions for NCD risk factors
3:30 pm - Break
4:00 pm - Panel 3: New challenges with industry interference for policies to reduce consumption of tobacco, alcohol and ultraprocessed foods
- Laura Cury, ACT;
- Dr. Vanessa Mello Rodrigues, GHAI;
- Dr. Mary-Ann Etiebet, Vital Strategies (virtual);
- Ms. Maisha Hutton, Healthy Caribbean Coalition (virtual)
4:30 pm - Moderated discussion on challenges in NCD risk factor policies
4:45 pm - Concluding remarks on reducing conflicts of interest in NCD risk factor policies
5:00 pm - End of Day 1
Tuesday, March 25, 2025
Session 2: Health system strengthening for NCDs and mental health, focusing on primary health care
Moderator: Dr. Gloria Giraldo, NCD and mental health advisor, PAHO Caribbean Subregional Office
9:00 am - Presentation: PAHO initiative for Better Care for NCDs, and building on experiences in Hearts in the Americas
- Dr. Jonas Gonseth, Department of NCDs and Mental Health, PAHO
- Dr. Cintia L’Hopital, Department of NCDs and Mental Health, PAHO
9:20 am- Presentation: Mental health and interconnection with NCDs
- Dr. Matias Irarrazaval, PAHO Unit on Mental Health
9:40 am - Panel 4: country experiences in integrating NCDs and mental health into primary health care, including Hearts
- Dr. Andelys de la Rosa, Dominican Republic;
- Dr. Percy Herrera, Peru;
- Dr. Matías Villatoro, El Salvador;
- Dr. Felicia Cañete Paraguay;
- Dr. Tamu Davidson, Jamaica
10:30 am - Break
11:00 am - Digital Health: Brazil experience in implementing digital health solutions for NCDs
- Speaker to be confirmed
11:20 am - Financing health system strengthening for NCDs and mental health and experiences in Latin America and the Caribbean
- Dr. Cristian Herrera, World Bank;
- Dr. Sebastian Bauhof, Inter-American Development Bank (virtual)
12:00 pm - Moderated discussion on financing health system strengthening for NCDs and mental health
12:30 pm - Lunch break
Session 3: Surveillance and monitoring of NCDs and risk factors
Moderator: Dr. Roberta Caixeta, PAHO regional advisor on NCDs and surveillance
1:30 pm - Presentation: Surveillance: Essential Public Health Function. Integrating NCDs in Public Health Surveillance
- Dr. Roberta Caixeta, PAHO regional advisor on NCDs and Surveillance
1:50 pm - Panel 5: Country experiences in NCD surveillance strengthening
- Dr. Matías Villatoro, El Salvador;
- Dr. Shana-Cyr Philbert, St. Lucia;
- Dr. Leticia Cardoso, Brazil
2:30 pm - Moderated discussion on improving surveillance, monitoring and reporting on NCDs and risk factors
3:00 pm - Break
Session 4: Economic dimensions of NCDs and health taxes
Moderator: Ms. Rosa Sandoval, PAHO regional advisor on Tobacco Control
3:30 pm - Presentation: Brazil's experience in including health taxes in the tax reform
- Dra. Leticia Cardoso, Director of the Department of Epidemiological Analysis and Surveillance of Non-Communicable Diseases, Ministry of Health of Brazil
3:45 pm- Comments on campaigning for health taxes in the context of the tax reform in Brazil
- Marcelo Baird, ACT
4:15 pm - Panel 6: Country experiences on health taxes and challenges in implementation
- Dr. Chesta Sewtahal, Suriname;
- Dr. Walter Alleyne, Barbados;
4:45 pm - Moderated discussion on economic impact, investment cases and health taxes
5:00 pm - End of Day 2
Wednesday, March 26, 2025
Session 5: Preparations for the UN High level meeting on NCDs
Moderator: Silvana Luciani, PAHO Unit Chief on NCDs
9:00 am - Presentation: overview of process and plans for the 4th UN High-level meeting on NCDs
- Dr. Guy Fones, WHO Department of NCDs (virtual)
9:30 am - Moderated discussion on country needs to prepare for the UNHLM on NCDs, key messages and expectations
10:15 am - Break
10:30 am - Workgroups: Break out into small groups to discuss country preparations for the UNHLM on NCDs and PAHO’s technical cooperation on NCDs
12:30 pm - Lunch
1:30 pm - Report back from each workgroup on needs for PAHO technical cooperation
2:30 pm - Moderated discussion and opportunity for final reflections by participants
3:00 pm - Closing remarks
- Dr. Anselm Hennis, PAHO
- Brazil Ministry of Health representative
Resources and Documents
Noncommunicable diseases progress monitor 2025. Surveillance and monitoring of NCDs Scorecard for the Americas
NCDs at a Glance 2025. NCDs surveillance and monitoring: Noncommunicable disease mortality and risk factor prevalence in the Americas
NCD Country Cases
See the posters in the carousel below, or see the whole collection in the following link
Brasil: Fortalecimento da Vigilância dos Fatores de Risco para Doenças Crônicas Não Transmissíveis
Brasil: Projeto piloto Programa Útero é Vida: Qualificando a Linha do Cuidado do Câncer do Colo do Útero em Pernambuco
República Dominicana: fortalecimiento de la atención primaria en prevención y control de las ENT
Group photo
