At UN General Assembly: Nordic food policies to tackle lifestyle diseases
Globalisation of unhealthy lifestyles
The growing challenge of noncommunicable diseases NCDs, such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and obesity will be addressed by global leaders and experts at the official UNGA side-event. But moving to practical solutions the global leaders will discuss how actions for sustainable and healthy food systems can best be implemented and be used more strategically for the prevention of NCDs.
The NCDs are responsible for a large part of the disease burden in Europe and are growing in other parts of the six WHO regions. These diseases are driven by forces that include the globalisation of unhealthy diets and lifestyles, rapid unplanned urbanization and population ageing.
Nordics solutions on the menu
In many countries including the Nordics, existing policies already address aspects of the wider food system; including nutrition, food culture and identity, public foods and meals, food waste and sustainable diets. These learnings will be highlighted during the event.
“Research has demonstrated that the New Nordic diet and Mediterranean diets are health-promoting and can help tackle noncommunicable diseases. But changing course requires effective, joint efforts on nutrition. The Nordics have really shown the potential of collaborative, cross-country policy-making, “ says João Breda, Head of the World Health Organization Europe Office for Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases
Research has demonstrated that the New Nordic diet and Mediterranean diets are health-promoting and can help tackle noncommunicable diseases
Solutionists and speakers:
- Nikolai Astrup (Minister of International Development, Government of Norway)
- Prof. Nila F. Moeloek (Minister of Health, Government of Indonesia)
- Gunhild A. Stordalen (Founder & Executive Chair, EAT)
- David Nabarro (Curator, Food Systems Dialogues)
- Agneta Karlsson (State Secretary for Health and Social Affairs, Government of Sweden)
- Gilbert Houngbo (President, International Fund for Agricultural Development)
- Sania Nishtar (Co-chair, WHO High-Level Independent Commission on Non-communicable diseases)
- Gerda Verburg (UN Assistant Secretary General & Coordinator, SUN Movement)
- Steve Waygood (Chief Responsible Investment Officer, Aviva)
- Kanni Wignaraja (Director, UN Development Operations Coordination Office)
- Svetlana Akselrod (Assistant Director General for Non-Communicable Diseases and Mental Health, WHO)
The side event during the 73rd Session of the UN General Assembly is hosted by EAT Foundation in collaboration with the Governments of Norway, Sweden, Finland, Indonesia and the Nordics Food Policy Lab - a flagship project under the Nordic Council of Ministers -, and is co-sponsored by the World Health Organization, C40 and the SUN Movement. This is the Third United Nations High-level Meeting on NCDs.
- Full program: Food System Approaches to the Prevention of NCDs (eatforum.org)
- Download the Solutions Menu – A Nordic Guide to sustainable food policy
- Watch LIVE at 13:15 (GMT-4) (webtv.un.org)
- Follow us on Twitter (@nordicfoodpol) for further updates #nordicsolutions