Parallel Session 3.5

There are multiple competing frames involved in the governance of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). These include: NCDs as a technical public health problem, with technocratic solutions (such as WHO’s Best Buys); NCDs as an obstacle to economic growth; NCDs as an equity and human rights issue; NCDs as a development issue, central to achieving the SDGs; NCDs as an externality of transnational corporate practice, an ‘industrial epidemic’; and NCDs as a multi-sectoral issue, requiring a ‘whole-of-government’, ‘whole-of-society’ approach. This typology of framing also links NCDs to existing global health agendas, such as those of health security, UHC and health systems strengthening. There are also additional risk factor and disease-specific frames, for example concerning obesity/diabetes, sleep deprivation and environmental exposures to pollution. No one frame yet has dominance, and there is currently a pluralistic approach to conceptualising NCDs and the response required to manage them. The response globally has been heavily criticised for its fragmentation - often seen as a major hindrance to progress, especially regarding the achievement of political traction. It is not clear how the different competing frames might be contributing to the fragmented response. However, it is clear is that the commonalties and overlaps in the various frames and agendas could be better harnessed and any synergies realised to accelerate political commitment and action.