Statement at the Launch of the white paper Global Health in Foreign and Development Policy

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

The  White Paper on Global Health recognizes the “double burden of disease” which is now hitting low income countries.  It sets out how we will continue our efforts against communicable diseases, such as Aids, TB and Malaria, but also how we will contribute to meet the rising tide of NCDs.

Poor  people should not suffer the double burden of disease. I visited Tanzania i January this year. They have limited possibilities to treat cancer. The most common form of cancer for men was cancer from AIDS. And for women it was cervical cancer. Both with high mortality. And they are both preventable.

For the sick child with diarrhoea or the middle aged woman with diabetes type 2, it is of no interest whatsoever if the suffering is caused by a communicable or a non-communicable disease. 
 Prevention is the key to fight non-communicable diseases (NCD). We know that preventing chronic diseases is a great investment – for the benefit of people and for the economy. If we do it right, prevention of NCDs will contribute to economic growth and reduce inequalities in health within and between countries.
In order to prevent, national governments must take the lead. Risk factors such as tobacco and obesity must be addressed, using policy instruments at population level. At the same time, we should be very conscious about the broader factors which contribute to premature mortality due to NCDs. This means we also have to address and monitor social inequalities in health.
If all progress on NCDs is made within higher socioeconomic groups, we will lose the poor people and we will fail.
National health systems must be strengthened. In particular I would like to underscore the importance of a vigorous primary health care system. But an effective strategy does not rest with the health sector alone. All countries should be encouraged to develop a public health policy based on the idea “health in all policies”. Cross-sectoral action is needed in order to respond effectively to the NCD challenge. NGOs also have a crucial role to play by creating awareness and pushing decision makers.

 We know from experience that setting targets and goals are useful in order to achieve progress. ”What gets measured, gets done”. In this regard, the World Health Organization has a leading role. 

 It was decided, at the High Level Meeting on NCDs in New York in September last year that we will develop targets, indicators and a monitoring framework for countries to apply in their national settings.

 From  my perspective as a Health Minister I would like to emphasize the importance of preventing the four common risk factors tobacco smoking, alcohol, diet and physical activity. 
 Reducing tobacco consumption is one of the most efficient measures to prevent NCDs. However, tobacco industry has taken legal action against a number of Parties to the WHOs Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, including Norway. This is unacceptable. No Party to the Tobacco Convention (FCTC) should allow tobacco industry to intimidate us in fulfilling our legal obligations to protect public health. I have noted with satisfaction that you, Dr. Margaret Chan, has spoken strongly against this untimely interference from “big tobacco” on several occasions.

On my initiative Ministers of Health from Australia, Norway, United Kingdom and Uruguay along with a senior representative of the New Zealand Government, met in New York in September last year to exchange views and experiences in dealing with tobacco industry challenges to domestic tobacco control efforts.

In this meeting we agreed on the following key messages :
o Implementing the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) can make the greatest single contribution to preventing non-communicable disease.
o Tobacco control policies must be protected from the commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry.

Finally, I will ensure you all that I am fully committed to further support WHO in its leading global role in the fighting of diseases, communicable and non-communicable. In particular, Norway will, together with our international partners, will explore new ways and means to increase support to the global work against tobacco.