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WORLD HEART FEDERATION ENDORSES SYDNEY RESOLUTION

The World Heart Federation fully endorsed the Sydney Resolution delivered during the annual meeting of the Oxford Health Alliance (OxHA) this year in Australia. The resolution calls on the United Nations’ agencies, governments, corporations and businesses, donor agencies, professionals, consumers, non-government organisations and employee unions, civil society and individuals to collaborate in taking urgent action to halt the devastating global impact of chronic diseases.

Sydney Resolution: call to action

We call on the United Nations’ agencies, governments, corporations and businesses, donor agencies, professionals, consumers, non-government organisations and employee unions, civil society and individuals to collaborate in taking urgent action to halt the devastating global impact of chronic diseases. We know that change is possible for individuals and families, communities and nations and that the change will promote economic and environmental sustainability. We need:

  • Healthy places – designing towns, cities and rural areas, which are smoke free, and where it is easy to walk, cycle and play, with unpolluted open spaces and safe local areas that foster social interaction.
  • Healthy food – making healthy food affordable, and available to all.
  • Healthy business – engaging business in the agendas promoting healthy people, healthy places, healthy planet and making good health good business.
  • Healthy public policy – formulating comprehensive, innovative and ‘joined-up’ legislation and social and economic policies that promote health.
  • Healthy societies – addressing equity and socio-economic disadvantage.

Oxford Health Alliance, 27 February 2008

 

Working together to alleviate the global burden of chronic disease

The World Heart Federation played an important role in the creation of OxHA and shares its vision of alleviating the global health burden of chronic diseases. Cardiovascular disease represents one out of three deaths worldwide, and combined with the other chronic diseases diabetes, chronic respiratory disease and cancer, accounts for 50% of mortality globally. Their underlying causes are tobacco use, physical inactivity and poor diet.

It is furthermore well documented that these chronic diseases are not only diseases of the affluent anymore, but rapidly progress in developing countries alike, killing and disabling people in their most productive years. This places an unbearable burden on the already strained economic and public health resources of those countries.

Chronic diseases impact people in their "working" years, resulting in reduced productivity and increased employer costs. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that between 2005–2015 income loss could be as much as $558 billion in China, $237 billion in India, $33 billion in Russia and $33 billion in the UK. Countries like Brazil, China, Russia and India currently lose more than 20 million productive life-years annually to chronic disease, and that number is expected to grow by 65% by 2030.

World Heart Federation’s commitment to OxHA

The World Heart Federation President, Dr Shahryar A. Sheikh, sent a letter of support to OxHA commending their call for action for the worldwide prevention of cardiovascular disease. In it he highlights the urgent need to address this major public health threat and states “We are a firm believer in the multi-stakeholder approach to tackle this complex issue and thus commend the Oxford Health Alliance for having delivered a call to action that will provide a necessary impulse in the fight against chronic diseases. The World Heart Federation fully endorses the Sydney Resolution and will be disseminating it to our 196 member organizations around the world.”

Our members have been encouraged by Dr Sheikh to join forces in adopting this resolution and to take action on a local level.

For more information:

•    www.oxha.org
•    www.3four50.com

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