DUBLIN, 23 June 2025 — Journalists attending a World Health Organization (WHO) training session in Dublin were called upon to take a leading role in the fight against non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which continue to claim millions of lives worldwide each year.
Dr. Douglas Bettcher, WHO’s Special Advisor on NCDs, delivered a stark message at the event held alongside the World Conference on Tobacco Control. He highlighted tobacco use as a major driver of NCDs, which account for three-quarters of global deaths, with one-third of those occurring prematurely before the age of 70.
“The impact of NCDs extends beyond health — they have profound social and economic consequences,” Dr. Bettcher said. He stressed that most NCDs are preventable through proven interventions known as WHO’s ‘Best Buys.’
The training session also celebrated the 20th anniversary of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), the first international treaty negotiated under WHO. The FCTC has been described as one of the most successful and rapidly adopted UN treaties in history, demonstrating how evidence and accountability can deliver significant public health benefits.
However, Dr. Bettcher cautioned that progress toward the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target of reducing premature deaths from NCDs by one-third by 2030 remains insufficient. Fewer than 10% of countries are currently on track to meet this commitment.
The WHO advisor urged journalists to play a vital role in shaping public understanding and holding governments accountable. “Prevention of NCDs is not just about policy; it’s about telling the stories behind the statistics — of communities underserved by health systems, of children targeted by marketing for unhealthy products, and of powerful industries seeking to hide the truth,” he said.
Dr. Bettcher also drew parallels to the COVID-19 pandemic infodemic, warning of widespread misinformation and the ongoing influence of the tobacco industry’s tactics to undermine public health.
As global leaders prepare to gather at the UN General Assembly’s high-level meeting on NCDs in September, WHO is calling on journalists worldwide to help amplify this urgent health crisis — a story that deserves far more attention than it currently receives.
