The Medical Women's International Association and Non-State Actors supporting the current statement welcome the report of the Director General on the progress towards the political declaration on the prevention and control of NCDs.

We reaffirm the statements of the report, and call the Member States to ensure more investments in effective prevention, diagnosis and treatment of NCDs among women and girls, since NCDs remain as the leading cause of deaths and morbidity in this vulnerable population group.

High-impact interventions for NCDs prevention and control should be specifically prioritized in primary health care settings through systemic integration of cost-effective interventions, including promotion of self-care as a prevention strategy, and appropriate resource investments.

We welcome the WHO Executive Board decision to produce a global status report on cancer in 2025, inclusive of all WHO cancer initiatives (cervical, childhood and breast cancers). We support the need to strengthen political and resource investments for the elimination of cervical cancer via HPV vaccination, secondary prevention through screening and treatment of precancerous lesions, and management of advanced cervical cancer aligned to WHO’s 90-70-90 targets.

Furthermore, despite the limited gender-disaggregated data on the prevalence of certain skin NCDs, preliminary indications suggest a higher disease burden and stigma in women, including skin-disease related mental health (in particular depression, suicidal ideation, and anxiety) and access to work. We stress the necessity for additional research on gender-specific prevalence and burden of skin NCDs, including during pregnancy.

We call for increased awareness and support for gender-related vulnerabilities, women’s empowerment and inclusion, and women-focused suicide prevention initiatives globally. Studies have found that women are more likely to self-harm and attempt suicide due to gender-based violence, economic inequality, discrimination, and lack of access to mental health services.

At the same time, we emphasize the gender gap in research, as women are underrepresented in priority NCD research areas, such as cardiovascular diseases. We draw attention to the Report of the 2023 Innovation Equity Forum as the global consensus on 50 High-Return Opportunities on how we can Advance the Global Women’s Health Research and Development Agenda, including for NCDs.