Call to Action: NCDs, Youth & 2018

As we gear up for the 2018 UN HLM on NCDs youth advocates, among whom IFMSA, developed the Call to Action: NCDs, Youth & 2018. It stresses the role of young people in the global NCD agenda, and the need to ensure that the priorities of young people are heard and acted upon at every level.

Development of the Call for Action

In the two days prior to the NCD Alliance Forum, 22 youth advocates, among whom the IFMSA Liaison Officer for Public Health Issues, gathered to work together in ensuring meaningful youth participation as well as enriching and energizing civil society advocacy activities leading up to the 2018 High-Level Meeting. This was done in a pre-Forum youth workshop, that consisted of sharing knowledge and experiences, interactive session and training and identifying key priorities amongst and for youth in the NCD processes. 

The outcome of the workshop is the Youth Call for Action. It calls on our peers, civil society organizations, and governments to step up the pace on NCDs. Three main priorities for youth have been set:

• Ensure universal and equitable access to high-quality, affordable, age-appropriate health care
• Scale up financing and resources for prevention, management, and treatment of NCDs across the life-course 
• Raise awareness of children, adolescents, and young people, and sensitize government officials about the risk factors, prevalence, and impact of NCDs