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WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION REGIONAL OFFICE FOR EUROPE WELTGESUNDHEITSORGANISATION REGIONALBÜRO FÜR EUROPA

ORGANISATION MONDIALE DE LA SANTÉ BUREAU RÉGIONAL DE L'EUROPE

ВСЕМИРНАЯ ОРГАНИЗАЦИЯ ЗДРАВООХРАНЕНИЯ

ЕВРОПЕЙСКОЕ РЕГИОНАЛЬНОЕ БЮРО

74th Session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe RACE to the Finish: European Regional Multi-stakeholder Consultation on the Forth United Nations High Level Meeting on Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health

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Virtual Side Event 9 September 2024 22 October 2024 10:00 – 11:30 CET

Original: English

Scope and purpose

Overview Everyone has a stake in accelerating action on noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and mental health. To emphasize the urgency of this work, at the 73rd session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe (RC73) held in Astana in 2023, the Region launched a 100-week challenge to make every week count to achieve the internationally agreed NCD-related SDG targets ahead of the Fourth High-level Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly (HLM4) in 2025. The Region is not yet on track to achieve this target, or the targets and indicators for the associated NCD Global Monitoring Framework, so there is no room for complacency. Unless the WHO best buys for NCDs are implemented more rapidly, including reducing tobacco use, it has been estimated that the European Region will have the highest proportion of smoking adults of all WHO regions, projected to reach 23% by 2030. Currently, people over the age of 15 years in Europe consume the highest amount of alcohol per capita in the world, and none of the Member States in the European Region will achieve the 2025 target to halt the rise of overweight and obesity that was committed to as part of the NCD Global Monitoring Framework. Although mortality from cardiovascular disease has declined in recent years, the rate of decline is stalling in many countries. In addition, deaths from cancer far exceed those that can be prevented or avoided. Factors such as conflict, pandemics, insecurity, natural disasters, increased levels of addiction and the increasingly digital and disconnected lives that people lead have exacerbated the mental health challenges faced by populations in the Region.

At this session, representatives from Member States and civil society, as well as other stakeholders will review the progress that has been made and consider the urgency of the action needed to be taken towards the attainment of SDG target 3.4 relating to NCDs and mental health.

Languages

This session will be in English and Russian

UN City, Marmorvej 51 Tel.: +45 45 33 70 00 Email: [email protected] DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø Denmark

Fax: +45 45 33 70 01 Website: https://www.who.int/europe

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION ORGANISATION MONDIALE DE LA SANTÉ

WELTGESUNDHEITSORGANISATION ВСЕМИРНАЯ ОРГАНИЗАЦИЯ ЗДРАВООХРАНЕНИЯ

Date: 11 September 2024 Ms Helen Sõber Adviser European Union Affairs and International Co- operation Department Ministry of Social Affairs Suur-Ameerika 1 10122 Tallinn Estonia

REGIONAL OFFICE FOR EUROPE BUREAU RÉGIONAL DE L’EUROPE

REGIONALBÜRO FÜR EUROPA ЕВРОПЕЙСКОЕ РЕГИОНАЛЬНОЕ БЮРО

Head office:

UN City, Marmorvej 51, DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark

Tel.: +45 45 33 70 00; Fax: +45 45 33 70 01 Email: [email protected]

Website: https://www.who.int/europe

Our reference: Notre référence: Unser Zeichen: См. наш номер:

Your reference: Votre référence: Ihr Zeichen: На Ваш номер:

Dear Ms Sõber,

74th Session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe Virtual Side Event

RACE to the Finish: European Regional Multi-stakeholder Consultation on the Fourth United Nations High Level Meeting on Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health

I have the honour to inform you that the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe plans to hold the above-mentioned virtual side event on 22 October 2024 from 10:00 – 11:30 CET. The aim of the event is to review the latest regional data on progress made toward attainment of the noncommunicable disease (NCD) targets ahead of the Fourth High Level Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly (HLM4) in 2025, to recognize the urgency of the action needed to accelerate progress, and to discuss an agenda for action for the last five years of the SDG era. The Region is not yet on track to achieve SDG target 3.4 related to NCDs and mental health, or the targets and indicators for the associated NCD Global Monitoring Framework, so there is no room for complacency. Everyone has a stake in accelerating action on NCDs and mental health. I have pleasure in inviting you to nominate up to six (6) participants representing each of the following stakeholder groups: government, academia, professional societies, civil society, people with lived experience and youth. The participants will have the opportunity to review and submit online comments on a discussion paper outlining an agenda for action to accelerate attainment of the NCD targets in the remaining five years before the 2030 SDG deadline. An outline of the scope and purpose of the meeting is enclosed. A link to the discussion paper will be shared in late September. The working language will be English. Simultaneous interpretation will be provided in Russian. I look forward to receiving your nominations, giving the names, functional titles, and addresses of the proposed participants at your early convenience. We shall then communicate with them directly and provide them with the necessary registration and document review links.

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Nominations should be sent to [email protected] no later than 23 September 2024. Allison Ekberg, Technical Officer for NCDs, is responsible for this activity and it would be appreciated if you would address your questions to her. Sincerely yours, Dr Gauden Galea Strategic Adviser to the Regional Director Special Initiative on NCDs and Innovation Encls: Scope and purpose

Copy for information to: Ms Triin Uusberg, Head, European Union Affairs and International Co-operation Department, Ministry of Social Affairs, Suur-Ameerika 1, 10129 Tallinn, Estonia H.E. Ms Riia Salsa-Audiffren, Ambassador Representative of the Republic of Estonia, Permanent Mission of the Republic of Estonia to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva, Chemin du Petit-Saconnex 28A, CH-1209 Genève, Switzerland H.E. Mr Andre Pung, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary (agréé), Embassy of the Republic of Estonia, Frederiksgade 19, 4th floor, 1265 Copenhagen K, Denmark Ms Kristina Köhler, Liaison Officer, WHO Country Office, Estonia, Paldiski Road 81, 10617 Tallinn, Estonia

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