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Close to 200 delegates from Barbados and around the region will converge on the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, Two Mile Hill, St. Michael, from June 13 to 16, for the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Ministerial Conference on Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) and Mental Health.

It is being hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the Government of Barbados, through the Ministry of Health and Wellness, in recognition of the high burden of non-communicable diseases and mental health in SIDS countries, as well as the impact of climate change, coupled with the effect of COVID-19 on health and economies in these vulnerable states.

SIDS countries are on the frontlines of the climate crisis and the pandemic only reinforced the scale of NCDs such as obesity, cancer and diabetes, which disproportionately impact these countries. Yet, SIDS countries have a unique opportunity to pilot prevention and treatment interventions and develop evidence for the world to draw on.

Speakers at the conference will include Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Amor Mottley; WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus; new PAHO Director, Dr. Jarbas Barbosa; and Minister of Health and Wellness, Senator Dr. The Most Honourable Jerome Walcott. Persons with lived experiences with NCDs and mental health will also share their stories.

The Ministerial Conference follows on from the SIDS High-level technical meeting on NCDs and mental health held in January 2023 in Barbados, where representatives from SIDS countries discussed the progress and challenges to meet the Sustainable Development Goal 3.4 related to NCDs and mental health. On that occasion, key recommendations were also provided for the subsequent development of a negotiated outcome document.

The outcome document from next week’s conference will see SIDS sign up to bold actions to accelerate progress in reducing premature deaths from NCDs through prevention and treatment, as well as promoting mental health and well-being.

Additionally, a report on non-communicable diseases and mental health in small island developing states, which draws on unique challenges that SIDS face in preventing and managing NCDs and mental health conditions, will be released during the conference.    

The conference will aim to strengthen political commitments and mobilise increased action domestically and internationally. It will also look at how to scale-up actions on NCDs and mental health, in the context of the climate crisis.

The discussions and outcomes will inform upcoming UN General Assembly High-level Meetings on universal health coverage later in 2023 and NCDs in 2025.

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