Pan American Health Organization

The Pan American Health Organization, Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) and the World Economic Forum are collaborating on Wellness Week, which seeks to develop a social movement on healthy settings for healthy living and increase awareness among individuals, policy makers, communities and employers. The objective of Wellness Week is to emphasize the importance of the built and natural environment and socioeconomic conditions in modifying the risk factors for non-communicable diseases and in promoting prevention.

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are responsible for more than half all deaths in the world. WHO states that:

• 36 million of the 67 million global deaths in 2008 were due to NCDs
• 29% of NCD deaths in low- and middle-income countries in 2008 occurred before the age of 60
• 80% of premature heart disease, stroke and diabetes can be prevented

In addition to increasing early death rates, NCDs also increase health care costs, affect development, lower the quality of life and decrease well-being.

Non-communicable diseases include mainly:

• Cardiovascular disease
• Cancers
• Diabetes
• Chronic respiratory diseases

While not the only NCDs, these four account for the majority of NCD-related avoidable deaths and share the common risk factors of physical inactivity, inadequate diet, tobacco use, and the harmful use of alcohol.

United Nations (UN) High-Level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs)

The UN High-Level Meeting on NCDs closed on September 20 with a Political Declaration encouraging governments to establish targets for the surveillance of these diseases and their risk factors. 113 Member States of the UN, including 23 heads of state and 11 heads of government, participated. In the Americas, 9 heads of state and 25 Member States attended the meeting, among other ministers, vice ministers and multi-sectorial delegations.

In order to commemorate and renew the committments established at the UN-High Level Meeting, PAHO called the countries in the Americas to celebrate a Wellness Week of events, that would build upon the Caribbean Wellness Day initiative celebrated also in September by the English-speaking Caribbean countries since 2009.