The fourth United Nations (UN) High-Level Meeting (HLM) on Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) will take place on 25 September 2025 in New York. It will be the last HLM on NCDs before 2030, the deadline by which the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the diabetes coverage targets must be achieved. This meeting is, therefore, a significant milestone for the diabetes and other NCD communities.
The HLM will conclude with the adoption of a political declaration, with guidance on how Member States can address the growing impact of NCDs, tackle modifiable risk factors to improve prevention, and improve the well-being of people living with NCDs and those at risk. UN Member States have been negotiating the political declaration draft for several months.
As the global voice of the diabetes community, representing over 250 national diabetes associations in more than 150 countries and territories, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) is gravely concerned that the latest draft of the political declaration is significantly weaker than the original document circulated some weeks ago. The language has been watered down through several rounds of negotiations, with commitments now asking Member States to merely “consider” measures that the original text requested to “implement”. This is notably the case for prevention and fiscal measures, which are of paramount importance to address diabetes and other NCDs. The document does not stress the need for meaningful engagement of people living with NCDs; it just mentions the need for their participation.
Member States aim to finalise the negotiations of the political declaration today (July 30). At this important moment for global health, IDF calls on Member States to continue the negotiations throughout August and consider the recommendations made by civil society organisations. This is the only way to ensure a strong political declaration with actionable measures that will contribute to the prevention and control of NCDs.
With regard to diabetes specifically, our Federation calls for the political declaration to:
- Acknowledge that the ultimate purpose of improving care and access to care for people living with diabetes and those at risk is to improve their health and well-being. The latest draft implies that the only aim of diabetes care is to reduce the likelihood of diabetes-related complications.
- Stress that “insulin and glucose self-monitoring tools and devices” must be available and affordable, since they constitute essential care to which many people living with diabetes worldwide do not have affordable access.
- Recognise the vulnerability of people living in areas facing humanitarian crisis who require insulin, especially those living with type 1 diabetes, who require ongoing access to affordable insulin and monitoring to survive.
- Explicitly mention the Global Diabetes Compact and the previously endorsed global diabetes coverage targets; recognise the unique challenges that people living with type 1 diabetes face; and refer to the meaningful engagement of people living with NCDs – as requested by the “Voices in Action: People living with Diabetes in Global Health” open letter.
This moment will define diabetes and NCD care over the next five years. We call on Member States to keep the declaration strong so that it serves our community and not allow external influences to dilute the content to such a point as to render the document unfit for purpose.
