Call for acknowledgement of Indigenous Peoples in the 2025 NCD Declaration - 30 June 2025
In September 2025, governments met at the Fourth UN High-Level Meeting (HLM) on Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) and Mental Health to agree on a new Political Declaration that will shape global action on NCDs and mental health in the coming years.
The lead up to this meeting was not encouraging... the initial draft version of the Declaration (released earlier in 2026) once again did not include any explicit reference to Indigenous Peoples, despite the significant and well-known impact of NCDs on Indigenous communities around the world.
In response, IndigenousNCDs once again called for a final Declaration that would:
For more details on the IndigenousNCDs Call To Action see here.
What Changed
Fortunately, this time there was success!!!
Through sustained advocacy - and with vital leadership from the Member States of Australia, Canada and New Zealand - the final Political Declaration (released in December 2025) finally included formal acknowledgement of Indigenous peoples and the need for culturally competent approaches to NCDs.
The Political Declaration reads:
Section 28:
“Recognize the importance of fully respecting human rights, including the rights of Indigenous Peoples, in line with national contexts, in the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases and the promotion of mental health and wellbeing, and ensuring that no one is left behind, including for access to services and care, acknowledging that people living with and at risk of these conditions are often unjustly deprived of such access and may encounter discrimination and inconsiderate treatment.”
Section 59:
"Promote measures to increase the number, capacity, retention and competencies, including cultural competency, of trained health care workers, to implement integrated primary health care for health promotion, prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and palliative care for people living with or at risk of noncommunicable diseases and mental health conditions, including persons with disabilities, and to strengthen knowledge and skills related to the implementation of laws, policies, services and practices in the area of mental health'
Section 69:
"Promote, develop and implement noncommunicable diseases and mental health multisectoral national plans, and subnational plans, as appropriate to national circumstances and based on a whole-of-government, health-in-all policies and wholeof-society approach, that: (a) are focused on a set of evidence-based, cost-effective and affordable interventions that are based on the local context; (b) identify the roles and responsibilities of government ministries and agencies; (c) are costed and budgeted and linked to broader health, development and emergency plans; (d) respect human rights and engage in a culturally competent way with communities and people living with noncommunicable diseases and mental health conditions; (e) are ambitious, operational and realistic and have measurable targets; and (f) encourage international support, including from development partners, to complement these efforts".
Complete Political Declaration available here.
Looking Ahead
The addition of this language is an exciting and important step forward for international discourse on Indigenous Peoples and NCDs.
The IndigenousNCDs team are excited about what this means moving forward, and the future steps that can be taken in the wake of this new development.
We’re grateful to the partners and allies who supported this work and helped make this change possible. Going forward, we want to build on this progress and continue working to ensure Indigenous voices, knowledge, and leadership are reflected in NCD and mental health responses, discourse, and action.
The lead up to this meeting was not encouraging... the initial draft version of the Declaration (released earlier in 2026) once again did not include any explicit reference to Indigenous Peoples, despite the significant and well-known impact of NCDs on Indigenous communities around the world.
In response, IndigenousNCDs once again called for a final Declaration that would:
- Explicitly name Indigenous Peoples as priority populations
- Take a culturally inclusive and rights-based approach, and
- Commit to resourcing Indigenous-led solutions and governance
For more details on the IndigenousNCDs Call To Action see here.
What Changed
Fortunately, this time there was success!!!
Through sustained advocacy - and with vital leadership from the Member States of Australia, Canada and New Zealand - the final Political Declaration (released in December 2025) finally included formal acknowledgement of Indigenous peoples and the need for culturally competent approaches to NCDs.
The Political Declaration reads:
Section 28:
“Recognize the importance of fully respecting human rights, including the rights of Indigenous Peoples, in line with national contexts, in the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases and the promotion of mental health and wellbeing, and ensuring that no one is left behind, including for access to services and care, acknowledging that people living with and at risk of these conditions are often unjustly deprived of such access and may encounter discrimination and inconsiderate treatment.”
Section 59:
"Promote measures to increase the number, capacity, retention and competencies, including cultural competency, of trained health care workers, to implement integrated primary health care for health promotion, prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and palliative care for people living with or at risk of noncommunicable diseases and mental health conditions, including persons with disabilities, and to strengthen knowledge and skills related to the implementation of laws, policies, services and practices in the area of mental health'
Section 69:
"Promote, develop and implement noncommunicable diseases and mental health multisectoral national plans, and subnational plans, as appropriate to national circumstances and based on a whole-of-government, health-in-all policies and wholeof-society approach, that: (a) are focused on a set of evidence-based, cost-effective and affordable interventions that are based on the local context; (b) identify the roles and responsibilities of government ministries and agencies; (c) are costed and budgeted and linked to broader health, development and emergency plans; (d) respect human rights and engage in a culturally competent way with communities and people living with noncommunicable diseases and mental health conditions; (e) are ambitious, operational and realistic and have measurable targets; and (f) encourage international support, including from development partners, to complement these efforts".
Complete Political Declaration available here.
Looking Ahead
The addition of this language is an exciting and important step forward for international discourse on Indigenous Peoples and NCDs.
The IndigenousNCDs team are excited about what this means moving forward, and the future steps that can be taken in the wake of this new development.
We’re grateful to the partners and allies who supported this work and helped make this change possible. Going forward, we want to build on this progress and continue working to ensure Indigenous voices, knowledge, and leadership are reflected in NCD and mental health responses, discourse, and action.