A reflection on Day One of the NCDChild conference
[Editor's note: This post by Shusmita Khan originally appeared on NCD Action Network (http://bit.ly/GIhc6T). -BG]
Curtsey::: Amy Eussen who gave a compelling closing speech at the end of Day 1 of the Inaugural NCD Child Conference!
Day one of the NCDChild conference saw leading professionals from a variety of sectors come together to address the challenges surrounding NCDs, children and adolescents - it truly exceeded all expectations! It is hard to believe 6 months has passed since UNHLM and so much achieved given that the movement was kick-started only 2 years earlier. Whilst the UNHLM presented a unique moment in history the presentations on day one have shown that the UNHLM was only just the beginning. As Sue Henshall from UICC stated - it's time to move from resolution to action!
A common theme that came out of day one was the importance of dialogue across all sectors. As Sir George Alleyne stated in the opening session, we must overcome the compartmentalisation of diseases and sectors. The wide ranging presentations from the day showed that there are so many lessons for the movement to learn from the field. NCDs can no longer be considered just a 'health' issue - it's about social justice, economics, media engagement, education, diplomacy, human rights as the language of development and politics. In engaging across the sectors we need to move beyond criticising governments and open up dialogue to show governments that challenges can be addressed and solutions are not only possible but available. In line with this, coming out of day one of the NCDChild conference is the recognition and importance of partnerships in moving forward and the need, as highlighted by Bruce D***, for these to be strategic. Annabel Lavielle rightly identified that we need to embark on a new era of collaboration to address problems and challenges related to NCDs to be able to create solutions.
Whilst presentations on day one showed that collaboration is already taking place and it's this spirit of generosity that has brought everyone together in Oakland, California, in moving forward it became clear that the NCDChild movement needs to engage a broader network. It can not just be about the NCD community but needs to incorporate the broader child and maternal health movement, further engagement with grassroots NGOs, the private sector and UN agencies. Priya Mehra representing the UN Office of the Secretary-General, provided an inspiring overview of the collaboration and engagement that is already taking place within UN agencies following on from the UNHLM. Alongside the WHO, UN agencies such as UNHabitat, UNFPA, are beginning to implement considerations around NCDs into their work and domestic programs. An exciting announcement came from Barbara Reynolds, representing UNICEF, that they are establishing a Reference Group on NCDs. The enthusiasm of the NCDChild movement for updates and to be involved in the future with such a group was highlighted to Ms Reynolds.
Whilst trying to breakdown all the information from today is a challenge, there are a few key aspects coming out of day one discussions related to NCDs, children and adolescents. The first is related to prevention and the centrality of the lifecourse approach. As Sir George stated we must translate this into the automatic consideration of the lifecourse approach in policies, programs, national agendas and of course, the WHO targets and indicators. Day two will see further discussions on prevention including the lessons we can learn from the field, the importance of prevention for children and adolescents and the importance of newborn screening. For updates throughout the day follow #NCDChild on twitter. The second key aspect coming out of day one is related to diagnosis, treatment and community development. Day one saw great discussions about access to medicine, the importance of engaging patient and survivor groups and that community development approaches, such as CLAN's (Caring & Living as Neighbours) 5 pillar approach, show discussions surrounding NCDs can afford to focus beyond the big 4 diseases focused on at the UNHLM.
Finally, whilst day one saw discussions focused on the lessons we can learn there were clear indications of challenges that lie ahead for the NCDChild movement. As Ms Reynolds from UNICEF highlighted we need to bear in mind when moving forward the competing interests at play as we look forwards towards the review of the MDGs in 2015. It was also evident that the movement needs to learn to utilise social media and educate the broader public. A highlight of day one was hearing about the noise the youth movement is making and how they are drawing attention to the challenges surrounding NCDs. Sean Adebiyi also highlighted that we need to translate the outrage with the current state of affairs surrounding NCDs to inspire hope and encourage education. Presentations from the youth representatives and Claire Neal from Livestrong showed that organisations such as these are crucial to inspiring hope and ensuring education.
The third clear challenge is related to data collection. Whilst Bob Blum provided an amazing overview of some statistics and research on the issue, the NCDChild movement has had first-hand experience in preparing recent documents that updated data will be crucial to moving forward. The final challenge is not to re-invent the wheel. Day one showed attendees that we need to focus on learning from other movements such as tobacco and HIV. Bruce D*** gave an amazing and clear breakdown of the A to Z on what we can, and need to, learn. David Patterson provided a much needed legal focus to discussions and the need for a meaningful application of a human rights based approach.
Day one discussions bought us to the question of where to next? As Sir George stated we need to figure out how to set the NCDChild agenda so that it gets traction in the future. Discussions on day two will build on the themes and challenges highlighted on day one and will focus on strengthening of health systems, how we can learn from NCD movements already in practice and how we can affect change through public education campaigns.
Curtsey::: Amy Eussen who gave a compelling closing speech at the end of Day 1 of the Inaugural NCD Child Conference!
Day one of the NCDChild conference saw leading professionals from a variety of sectors come together to address the challenges surrounding NCDs, children and adolescents - it truly exceeded all expectations! It is hard to believe 6 months has passed since UNHLM and so much achieved given that the movement was kick-started only 2 years earlier. Whilst the UNHLM presented a unique moment in history the presentations on day one have shown that the UNHLM was only just the beginning. As Sue Henshall from UICC stated - it's time to move from resolution to action!
A common theme that came out of day one was the importance of dialogue across all sectors. As Sir George Alleyne stated in the opening session, we must overcome the compartmentalisation of diseases and sectors. The wide ranging presentations from the day showed that there are so many lessons for the movement to learn from the field. NCDs can no longer be considered just a 'health' issue - it's about social justice, economics, media engagement, education, diplomacy, human rights as the language of development and politics. In engaging across the sectors we need to move beyond criticising governments and open up dialogue to show governments that challenges can be addressed and solutions are not only possible but available. In line with this, coming out of day one of the NCDChild conference is the recognition and importance of partnerships in moving forward and the need, as highlighted by Bruce D***, for these to be strategic. Annabel Lavielle rightly identified that we need to embark on a new era of collaboration to address problems and challenges related to NCDs to be able to create solutions.
Whilst presentations on day one showed that collaboration is already taking place and it's this spirit of generosity that has brought everyone together in Oakland, California, in moving forward it became clear that the NCDChild movement needs to engage a broader network. It can not just be about the NCD community but needs to incorporate the broader child and maternal health movement, further engagement with grassroots NGOs, the private sector and UN agencies. Priya Mehra representing the UN Office of the Secretary-General, provided an inspiring overview of the collaboration and engagement that is already taking place within UN agencies following on from the UNHLM. Alongside the WHO, UN agencies such as UNHabitat, UNFPA, are beginning to implement considerations around NCDs into their work and domestic programs. An exciting announcement came from Barbara Reynolds, representing UNICEF, that they are establishing a Reference Group on NCDs. The enthusiasm of the NCDChild movement for updates and to be involved in the future with such a group was highlighted to Ms Reynolds.
Whilst trying to breakdown all the information from today is a challenge, there are a few key aspects coming out of day one discussions related to NCDs, children and adolescents. The first is related to prevention and the centrality of the lifecourse approach. As Sir George stated we must translate this into the automatic consideration of the lifecourse approach in policies, programs, national agendas and of course, the WHO targets and indicators. Day two will see further discussions on prevention including the lessons we can learn from the field, the importance of prevention for children and adolescents and the importance of newborn screening. For updates throughout the day follow #NCDChild on twitter. The second key aspect coming out of day one is related to diagnosis, treatment and community development. Day one saw great discussions about access to medicine, the importance of engaging patient and survivor groups and that community development approaches, such as CLAN's (Caring & Living as Neighbours) 5 pillar approach, show discussions surrounding NCDs can afford to focus beyond the big 4 diseases focused on at the UNHLM.
Finally, whilst day one saw discussions focused on the lessons we can learn there were clear indications of challenges that lie ahead for the NCDChild movement. As Ms Reynolds from UNICEF highlighted we need to bear in mind when moving forward the competing interests at play as we look forwards towards the review of the MDGs in 2015. It was also evident that the movement needs to learn to utilise social media and educate the broader public. A highlight of day one was hearing about the noise the youth movement is making and how they are drawing attention to the challenges surrounding NCDs. Sean Adebiyi also highlighted that we need to translate the outrage with the current state of affairs surrounding NCDs to inspire hope and encourage education. Presentations from the youth representatives and Claire Neal from Livestrong showed that organisations such as these are crucial to inspiring hope and ensuring education.
The third clear challenge is related to data collection. Whilst Bob Blum provided an amazing overview of some statistics and research on the issue, the NCDChild movement has had first-hand experience in preparing recent documents that updated data will be crucial to moving forward. The final challenge is not to re-invent the wheel. Day one showed attendees that we need to focus on learning from other movements such as tobacco and HIV. Bruce D*** gave an amazing and clear breakdown of the A to Z on what we can, and need to, learn. David Patterson provided a much needed legal focus to discussions and the need for a meaningful application of a human rights based approach.
Day one discussions bought us to the question of where to next? As Sir George stated we need to figure out how to set the NCDChild agenda so that it gets traction in the future. Discussions on day two will build on the themes and challenges highlighted on day one and will focus on strengthening of health systems, how we can learn from NCD movements already in practice and how we can affect change through public education campaigns.
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