Leadership on NCDs towards 2025 & beyond
Taking place over three days from 20 to 22 October, the Forum will consist of an official programme complemented by a rich agenda of activities.
The official programme is structured around three key sub-themes (Inspiring Leaders, Mobilising Sustainable Financing, Powering Up Communities) which serve as the guiding framework for plenaries, interactive sessions and workshops.
Hallmarks of the Forum programme are its focus on success stories and “what’s working” in the NCD response, showcasing pioneering and innovative solutions from the community to the global level to prevent and treat NCDs, and practical policy and advocacy strategies to respond to the challenges and barriers remaining. It will also emphasise people-centred and community-led approaches, with a strong focus on the lived experience of NCDs and the role that civil society and youth plays.
Inspire
Leadership
Mobilising Sustainable Financing
Power Up
Communities
What to expect
At-a-glance, delegates can expect a host of activities over three days:
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Official programme including high-level plenaries, parallel sessions and workshops.
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A high level opening ceremony followed by a welcome reception.
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A civil society coordination session for mobilisation and advocacy planning.
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Pre-conferences on priority topics/themes.
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Sponsored satellite sessions.
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Opportunities for informal exchanges and networking, including a diverse and vibrant space where communities can gather to connect, share and learn from each other, and an “Our Views, Our Voices” immersive exhibition featuring NCD Diaries.
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Social, physical activity and awareness activities, including the opportunity to experience Kigali Car Free Day.
Programme at a glance
Pre-Forum Day
Saturday 19 October
Side-events organised by NCDA partners
- Youth pre-conference
- Clean Air Fund pre-conference
- Our Views, Our Voices pre-conference
- Type 1 Diabetes Community Fund pre-conference
- WHO Global Coordinating Mechanism Meeting
Pre-conferences by invitation only
Day 1
Sunday 20 October
Kigali Car Free Day
- Walk through the city
- Physical and awareness activities
- Speeches
Press conference
Civil society coordination meeting towards the 2025 UN High-Level Meeting on NCDs
Opening Ceremony
Opening Plenary
Welcome Reception
Day 2
Monday 21 October
Plenaries
Member-led sessions and workshops
UN sessions
Global Planning Committee workshops
National Planning Committee workshops
Community Zone
Sponsored satellite sessions
Social evening
Cocktail/dinner reception
Day 3
Tuesday 22 October
Plenaries
Member-led sessions and workshops
UN sessions
Global Planning Committee workshops
National Planning Committee workshops
Community Zone
Sponsored satellite sessions
Closing Plenary
Closing Reception
PLENARIES
Opening plenary
NCDs in the Africa region: Catalysing progress, leadership and action
The opening plenary panel will set the regional context on NCDs, highlighting the regional policy context on NCDs and health more broadly, reviewing progress to date in the region since the last UN High-Level Meeting (UNHLM) in 2018, showcasing leadership and best practice in implementation, and exploring challenges remaining ahead of the 2025 UNHLM.
Plenary 1
2025 and beyond: Leadership in NCDs from grassroots to governments
Sub-theme: Inspiring leaders
This first plenary will reflect on the global NCD response to date and look ahead to 2025 which marks a critical juncture – the end date of the current global NCD targets and the next UN High-Level Meeting on NCDs. It will explore the hard-fought gains and progress achieved across NCD prevention and treatment, the remaining challenges and fault lines for 2025 and beyond, and the transformations and innovations needed in NCDs within the context of a complex poly-crisis. This plenary will showcase the leaders that are on the frontline making a difference in advancing effective policies and solutions, from government policy makers to grassroots activists, and unpack the motivations, enablers and strategies used to make systemic change in NCDs.
Plenary 2
Bridging the financing gap: Sustainable investments and financing solutions for NCDs
Sub-theme: Mobilising sustainable financing
This second plenary will explore the global investment gap and financing solutions for NCDs, which is a major priority for the 2025 UN High-Level Meeting. NCDs remain one of the most underfunded global health priorities, with a stark and persistent mismatch between the burden and global and domestic resource allocations. However there is growing evidence, consensus and momentum on the solutions and fiscal policies to bridge this gap – across domestic resource mobilization, development aid, and public-private partnerships – as well as new actors and mechanisms both within NCDs and broader global health/development that have the potential to unlock new and smart financing. This plenary will showcase global and national best practice in NCD financing, explore the outcomes of the WHO-World Bank international dialogue on sustainable financing for NCDs and mental health in 2024, and goals for the financing agenda in 2025 and beyond.
Plenary 3
Powering up communities: Fueling progress against NCDs
Sub-theme: Powering up communities
The third plenary will explore the role and vital importance of communities in advancing the NCD response. It will discuss good practice and opportunities to unlock the value of civil society and communities, including providing enabling environments, inclusive governance mechanisms and promoting social participation. This plenary will promote strategies to operationalise the meaningful involvement of people living with NCDs and leverage the WHO Framework on Meaningful Engagement of People Living with NCDs and Mental Health and Neurological Conditions and NCD Alliance’s Global Charter as essential advocacy resources. This session will look to foster a collective sense of the NCD community as a growing global movement dedicated to advancing the response, particularly in the lead-up to the UN High-Level Meeting in 2025 and beyond.
Strategic partner
