Join this webinar jointly organized by the Department for Noncommunicable Diseases, Rehabilitation & Disability (NCD) and Environment, Climate Change & Health (ECH) and supported by the Joint Working Team for UHC/ UHC Partnership. This event is part of the series Clean Air and Energy for Health and will be held on 20 March 2024 at 1-2:30pm (CET).
We are confronted with two public health emergencies that need to be urgently addressed: noncommunicable diseases and air pollution. Here are the hidden facts:
- The simple act of breathing kills 7 million people a year - outdoor and indoor - and harms billions more.
- Almost all these deaths – 85% – are attributable to noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), including heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer.
- As much as 99% of the world’s population breathe air with pollution levels that are unsafe according to the WHO Global Air Quality Guidelines.
Based on these facts, taking action is imperative. In 2019, Member States requested WHO to prepare a menu of policy options and interventions to reduce the number of premature deaths from NCDs attributed to air pollution, expanding to the 5x5 NCD agenda which incorporates air pollution as the fifth risk factor for NCDs.
This NCD Hard Talk will challenge both the NCD and air pollution communities, and bring up proposals on how to work together and take action.
The event aims to present the latest data on the impacts of air pollution on different NCDs, and will discuss how the rising NCD death toll from dirty air makes a strong argument for action. Furthermore it will define pragmatic solutions for health sector leadership and multisectoral collaboration to combat air pollution with health & NCD benefits.
This webinar session will be recorded.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
Key topics
- Hard Facts on Air Pollution and NCDs
- Role of the health sector
- Rising NCD burden – a strong argument for air pollution action
- Youth action to combat toxic air
- Triple wins to improve air quality in South Asia
- Role of donors and philanthropies
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
About the webinar series
This NCD Hard Talk session is also part of the WHO Webinar Series – Clean air and energy for health: from evidence to solutions.
The series gives a 360° view on current state of science, tools, interventions and the implementation of policies and programmes for clean air and better health. This series will also showcase solutions that can help prevent or mitigate air pollution health, economic and environmental costs. Bringing together experts, leaders, policymakers, civil society champions, innovators from a multi-sectorial perspective, it will also serve as a platform for fostering dialogue, sharing knowledge, and ultimately shaping a healthier, more sustainable future for all.