The role of the Resident Coordinator and the UN Country team

1. Panel 6:New initiatives from international partners to scale up technical support to low- and middle-income countries in addressing noncommunicable diseases and Injuries The role of the Resident Coordinator and the UN Country team in shaping the NCD/Injuries agenda at country level Dr. Mohammed Belhocine, UN Resident Coordinator, Tunisia

2. Where are we with the NCD/Injuries agenda? • At the health sector level • At the level of the national development plan • What can be the role of the RC system and the UN Country Team? • What to do? • How to do it ? • Conclusion

3. WHERE ARE WE? HEALTH SECTOR LEVEL • Lack of recognition of NCDs and Injuries as a public health problem • NCDs and Injuries acknowledged but interventions remain mainly curative/ hospital focused • NCDs and Injuries are acknowledged, interventions, are sectoral but except from pilot/demonstration zones, coverage and access to NCD/Injuries specific care remain partial. Sustainability issue.

4. WHERE ARE WE?NAT. DEVELOPMENT AGENDA • Lack of awareness of the link between some social/cultural/ determinants and NCDs/Injuries • Lack of recognition of the link between NCDs/Injuries and poverty • Compartmentalization of policies/sectors and tendency to confine solutions to the health. • Complacency in the enforcement of health promoting laws

5. WHAT TO DO WITHIN THE UNCT • Joint approach to address NCDs: leadership role of WHO • To include the NCD/Injuries agenda in the next generation of UNDAF outcomes: Role of UNCT/RC • Ensure seed funding: Global and local resource mobilization efforts

6. WHAT TO DO AMONG PARTNERS? • National partners: horizontal dialogue between different institutional segments, private sector, civil society and various stakeholders • Advocacy and support to the stewardship FOR health role of the Ministry of health • Bilateral and multilateral: Establishing fora for advocacy, exchange of information and consensus building on action plans

7. HOW TO DO IT? THREE PRINCIPLES • Use existing mechanisms instead of ad hoc ones for NCD/Injuries inclusion in the development agenda. • Bringing the UN together globally and at country level • Building a consensus on the need to address NCDs/ Injuries holistically using all the institutional tools a country has to encourage healthy lifestyles, reduce risk exposure, monitor the magnitude of problems and mitigate the public health impact

8. HOW TO DO IT? THREE INTERLINKED MECHANISMS • UN : “Delivering as One” in place at country level; funds available, preferably through a dedicated fund. • Sector wide approach (SWAP) mechanism • Alignment and Harmonization of Aid mechanism in place

9. DIALOGUE, DIALOGUE, DIALOGUE • Building a consensus: complementary approach between: • The Scientific fraternity • The State and public Sector • The private sector and the civil society • And all citizens • Cultural change • RC system could support countries to bring about this qualitative change

10. CONCLUSION • The RC system could really provide support in shaping the NCD/Injuries agenda by: • Having the UNCT speak with one voice • Including NCDs in the UNDAF agenda • Engaging in « upstream » work (policy dialogue, technical advice at the highest levels) • Supporting consensus building within the entire community: • Supporting countries to bring about qualitative change towards healthier lfestyles.

11. Thank you