admin At the upcoming United Nations gathering in New York, governments are poised to adopt new global targets for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) — illnesses like cancer, heart disease and diabetes — along with a roadmap for achieving them. But according to the World Health Organization, these health reforms are under threat. The WHO says that powerful industries involved in alcohol, tobacco and ultra-processed food are exerting strong pressure to weaken, delay or block policies designed to curb harms from their products.
Chief among the concerns are efforts to introduce health taxes, tighter marketing restrictions (especially to protect children), and warning-label regulations. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called opposition from these industries “fierce,” asserting that commercial interests are profiting from increasing deaths and disease. Dr Etienne Krug, WHO’s Director for Health Determinants, Promotion and Prevention, added that it is “unacceptable” for companies to benefit at the expense of global health.
A Call for Stronger Safeguards, Industry Pushback
The WHO report suggests that even though a mere US$3 per person investment in policies targeting NCDs could save more than 12 million lives by 2030 and generate savings of around US$1 trillion, the proposed political declaration in the UN negotiation has already been “watered down.”
Firms representing tobacco, alcohol, food and non-alcoholic beverages have defended their role, saying they welcome engagement in discussions to reduce harm. They argue that such dialogue can lead to more effective policy, and reject characterisations that they are obstructing progress. An alliance for food and non-alcoholic beverages has criticised comparison with tobacco and alcohol, while other industry spokespeople stressed the importance of balancing public health goals with fairness and economic impacts.
As world leaders prepare to commit to the new NCD targets, the WHO is urging stricter protections against industry lobbying, transparency in policy making, and stronger language in the UN declaration — to ensure that economic interests do not undermine life-saving reforms.
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