2018 is a pivotal year for progress towards the defeat of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The 2011 Political Declaration on the Prevention and Control of NCDs, led by WHO's then Assistant Director-General Ala Alwan, was a turning point in the history of global health. For the first time, and often in the face of severe resistance by governments and health-harming industries, nations accepted that chronic diseases were a critical force influencing human development. But since 2011, and despite much exclamatory rhetoric, momentum behind efforts to mobilise action against NCDs has stalled (and that is putting it politely).
Original Article: [Comment] 2018 must be the year for action against NCDs