Minister of Health Helps Shape Actions to Address Global Health Challenges

The Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor wraps up participation at the United Nations General Assembly

OTTAWA, Sept. 28, 2018 /CNW/ - Addressing the challenges that prevent people from being able to lead healthy lives?both physically and mentally?requires collaborative, global, whole-of-society approaches.

This past week, the Government of Canada participated in the annual United Nations (UN) General Assembly High-Level Week in New York City, where representatives from all 193 UN Member States gathered to discuss and work together on a wide array of international issues, including health.

As part of the Canadian delegation, the honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Health, led Canada's participation at the High-Level Meeting on the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases.

This year's theme?Scaling up multi-stakeholder and multi-sectoral responses for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development?recognized the need for collaboration with stakeholders across all sectors to reach the sustainable development goal to reduce premature mortality from non-communicable diseases by one-third by 2030, and to promote mental health and well-being.

During the High-Level Meeting, Minister Petitpas Taylor affirmed the Government of Canada's commitment to addressing chronic diseases and taking action on the risk factors that contribute to them. She highlighted how the Canadian federal government is working with provincial and territorial governments, the private sector, civil society and Indigenous groups to help Canadians adopt healthy lifestyles that include healthy food choices, tobacco cessation, physical activity and support for good mental health. 

Minister Petitpas Taylor and other members of the Canadian delegation also participated in events and discussions with other countries, health experts and stakeholders to learn about their initiatives and promising practices and share Canada's experiences on healthy ageing, physical activity and mental health. In addition, Canada co-sponsored and funded an event?Time to Act on Global Mental Health? that brought together political leaders, government officials, non-governmental organizations, academics, people with lived experience, everyday heroes and global mental health ambassadors. The event provided an opportunity to share global progress on mental health and bolster a growing united effort for global mental health.

Quotes

"Canada is facing a growing burden of chronic disease, and mental illness is becoming one of the most challenging public health issues of our time. Though we are making progress, we can, and must, do more. I am proud that, at this week's United Nations General Assembly, Canada, along with the other United Nation member states, adopted a Political Declaration committing to scale up efforts and further implement actions to control and prevent non-communicable diseases. Collaborative action among countries and stakeholders across all sectors is the only way we can ensure healthy lives and promote well-being at all ages, in our own countries and around the world."
The Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor
Minister of Health

Quick Facts

• Non-communicable diseases, also known as chronic diseases, account for 70% of deaths worldwide. In Canada, two in five adults report having one of the ten most common chronic diseases. Tobacco use, unhealthy eating, obesity, physical inactivity, and alcohol consumption are among the top contributors to chronic diseases.
• Canada's delegation to the High-Level Meeting on Non-communicable Diseases also included, senior government officials from the Public Health Agency of Canada, and representatives from Canada's International Development Research Centre, Heart & Stroke, the Canadian Mental Health Association, and a youth ambassador from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

Associated Links

• The Political Declaration of the third high-level meeting of the General Assembly on the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases
• Prime Minister to lead Canadian delegation to United Nations General Assembly in New York
• United Nations High-Level Meeting on Controlling and Preventing Non-communicable Diseases

SOURCE Health Canada