Global Week for Action on NCDs

Global Week for Action on NCDs brings together advocates, communities and organisations around the world to ensure NCD prevention, treatment and care get the attention and action they deserve — everywhere, for everyone.

Following the 2025 UN High-Level Meeting on the prevention and control of NCDs and mental health, the coming years represent a critical moment to turn political commitments into real progress for people and communities.

Leadership in Focus 

2026 is a year to keep leadership in focus. Governments have made commitments — now they must be translated into action, investment, accountability and measurable progress. 

The campaign will spotlight leadership at every level — from governments translating commitments into action, to communities, people with lived experience and partners across sectors helping shape, drive and hold progress to account. 

Why it Matters 

Noncommunicable diseases, including cancers, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases and mental health conditions, are the #1 cause of death and disability worldwide. 

If no clear action is taken to reverse this trend, deaths from NCDs could rise to 52 million — or the population of South Korea — per year by 2030. 

From Commitments to Action    

With fewer than five years remaining to achieve the 2030 global NCD targets, the focus must shift from commitments to implementation - and from promises to measurable progress. 

Global Week for Action on NCDs 2026 will help build momentum from commitments to delivery. It's time to lead.

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NCD Alliance: Why it's 'Time to Lead' 

Time to Lead has guided the Global Week for Action campaign since 2024 and continues in 2026, calling on leaders to move from commitments to delivery on NCDs and mental health. 

The Time to Lead campaign was launched in 2024 to bring the NCD movement together and compel leaders to act ahead of the 2025 UN High-Level Meeting on NCDs and mental health. Now, following HLM4, the campaign moves from commitments to delivery. World leaders must turn their pledges into accelerated action, increased investment, accountability and measurable progress - and, in some cases, go further with bolder action. 

Leadership is needed at every level. Country leaders, state leaders, community leaders, civil society leaders, people with lived experience and partners across sectors all have a role to play. 

Together, we can spark the change needed on NCDs.

See HCC's  Caribbean NCDs Leaders Spotlight from 2024.

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Barbados Government Information Service: Every day, children are exposed to messages that influence what they eat—but how much does food marketing shape their choices? 

An insightful discussion as we explore the connection between food marketing and childhood obesity; the roles of parents, schools, government, civil society, and the food industry; and practical steps that can help children develop healthier eating habits. 

Hosted by Sharifa Medford-Gilkes and featuring Brian Payne, Deputy Nutrition Officer (Ag), National Nutrition Centre, Ministry of Health and Wellness (MHW), Sheena Warner-Edwards, Social Media Manager & Communication Officer, Healthy Caribbean Coalition and Francine Charles, Programme Manager, Barbados Childhood Obesity Prevention Coalition.

Health Minister Michael Joseph

Image: Antigua Newsroom website 

Antigua Newsroom: The government plans to take legislation introducing a sugar tax in Antigua and Barbuda to Parliament before the end of 2026, Health Minister Michael Joseph has announced.

Joseph said discussions were continuing with the Ministry of Finance and the Office of the Chief Nutritionist as the government finalises the proposed measure.

Photo: Curacao Chronicle website

Curacao Chronicle: Cancer continues to represent one of the greatest public health challenges facing the Region. The Caribbean experiences some of the highest cancer incidence and mortality rates in the Americas, placing enormous demands on our health systems, economies, and communities. The Global Cancer Observatory indicates that the regional cancer burden is high and will continue to rise substantially, with annual new cancer cases for the Caribbean projected to increase by approximately 55%, from 123,884 in 2024 to 191,997 by 2050. 

In response to these challenges, the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and the Caribbean Association for Oncology and Hematology (CAOH) have formalised a new five-year partnership aimed at strengthening the Caribbean's response to the significant and growing burden of cancer. The partnership, established through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), provides a collaborative framework for joint action in cancer surveillance, prevention, workforce development, nutrition, access to safe and quality-assured cancer medicines, and public awareness.

Minister of Finance Ryan Straughn

Photo: Ricardo Roberts/Barbados TODAY)

Barbados TODAY: Government is planning a $1.2 billion debt-for-social swap in December, with savings from the transaction to be directed towards tackling Barbados’ non-communicable disease (NCD) crisis, including childhood obesity. 

Minister of Finance Ryan Straughn said the initiative, described as the largest debt swap in the country’s history, is expected to generate savings of about US$150 million for investment in public health programmes. ​

Addressing Scotiabank’s 70th anniversary gala at the Wyndham Grand Sam Lord’s Castle on Friday, Straughn highlighted the urgent need to protect future generations from health problems caused by lifestyle choices. ​

”We recognise that we have an NCD crisis in the country, and we have to address it,” the finance minister stated.

Related Media: 

Barbados TODAY: Coalition welcomes debt-for-social swap, calls for inclusive NCD strategy

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Sagicor: Hosted by Dr. Kenneth Connell, President of the HCC and Deputy Dean of Recruitment and Outreach at the UWI Faculty of Medicine, The Wellness Effect is a video podcast series designed to educate our communities about the dangers of NCDs. It will show the impact on not just their physical but their financial wellbeing. The series is a partnership between Sagicor, the Healthy Caribbean Coalition and the UWI Faculty of Medicine.

GHAI: A nutrient profile model (NPM) helps identify foods and beverages that are high in nutrients of concern associated with poor health outcomes, such as sugars, sodium and saturated fats, by evaluating their nutritional composition against science-based thresholds. Policymakers use NPMs to inform a range of healthy food policies, including front-of-package warning labels, which help consumers quickly and easily identify products that are high in nutrients of concern through simple, easy-to-interpret nutrition warnings.

On 21 July 2026, the Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) and Healthy Caribbean Youth (HCY) and the CARICOM Youth Desk hosted Speak. Shape. Lead: Youth in Caribbean Health Decision-Making, bringing together youth leaders, policymakers, civil society organisations, and regional partners from across the Caribbean to strengthen dialogue on meaningful youth engagement in health governance. View the Caribbean Youth Voices page and webinar recording here.

A key highlight of the event was the official launch of the Guidance Note for the Meaningful Engagement of Youth, Including Young People Living with Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs), in Health Decision-Making. Developed through extensive consultations with young people, young people living with NCDs, allies, and regional stakeholders, the Guidance Note provides practical recommendations for governments, civil society organisations, and development partners to strengthen meaningful, inclusive, and sustained youth participation in health decision-making.

The event marked an important milestone in advancing meaningful youth engagement across CARICOM and reaffirmed the collective commitment of regional institutions, governments, civil society, and young people to ensuring that youth voices are heard, valued, and reflected in health decision-making.

 We invite you to endorse the Guidance Note here.

Read or download the press release

GHAI: On August 12, 2026, Uganda made history when it formally launched one of the most comprehensive nutrient profile models (NPM) in the world. It will serve as the foundation for a new set of food policies intended to safeguard the public health of every Ugandan, as well as serve as an example to other countries in the East African Community and beyond.

Dr. Eva Jané Llopis

Photo: PAHO/WHO/Brenda Lashley

PAHO: Dr. Eva Jané Llopis has assumed duties as the new Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) Representative for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean Countries, bringing 25 years of international public health leadership and extensive experience working across countries and regions. 

In her new role, Dr. Jané Llopis will lead PAHO/WHO's technical cooperation with Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean Countries (ECC), working closely with governments, ministries of health and other partners to advance national and regional health priorities and strengthen resilient and equitable health systems.

Unhealthy Food and Drink Brands in Our Schools?

Read the Press Release

GHAI: The Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI) engaged nine youth advocates across seven countries — Uganda, South Africa, Jamaica, Barbados, Indonesia, Argentina and Colombia — to monitor UPP marketing in their own communities. Collectively they logged nearly 100 examples across television, billboards, supermarkets and social media and then wrote personal reflections on their experience. 

Across every country, the same global brands — Coca-Cola, McDonald's, KFC, Lay's, Pepsi — showed up again and again, alongside strong local players (Café Javas in Uganda, Mostaza in Argentina, Todo Rico in Colombia). Regardless of geography, the marketing followed a near-identical script: sell an emotion, not a product.

EarthMedic and EarthNurse are not-for-profits with global scope, with special focus on climate-vulnerable regions, anchored in the Caribbean small island developing states (SIDS), and based in Trinidad and Tobago and England, UK.

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Time to Act on NCDs, Time to Act on Childhood Obesity

The NCD Alliance’s annual Global Week for Action on NCDs campaign takes place this week, 7 – 13 September 2020. 

The Coronavirus pandemic has revealed the collective failure of our governments to address chronic noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and obesity. The disproportionate vulnerability of people living with NCDs and obesity to COVID-19 has left huge portions of our populations susceptible to severe disease and mortality.