Ministers of Health and their representatives, including the Minister of Health of Suriname and a representative from the Bureau of Public Health, met in Mexico City on February 24-25, 2011 to review and share their experiences in combating NCDs and to prepare a statement from the Americas for the UN’s High-level Meeting on NCDs in September 2011.

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Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of death and disability in the Americas. In the Americas, 1 in 4 adults are obese.

The declaration that was the culmination of this meeting saw the ministers pledging to

• commit to a multi-sectoral approach to combat obesity, particularly in children;
• promote the inclusion of non-communicable diseases in national and international agendas;
• recommend that heads of state and government attend the UN High-level Meeting in September 2011;
• promote policies and programs that will enhance basic preventative measures;
• promote the participation of government and civil sector in taking action to reduce risk factors and promote preventative actions;
• promote access to comprehensive and affordable health care;
• strengthen the national health information systems and monitoring;
• support and facilitate information sharing.

The complete declaration can be found here