Thursday, the secretary of health and social services Robert F. Kennedy. Jr. said: “The United States will move away from the declaration [on noncommunicable diseases]But we will never move away from the world or from our commitment to end chronic diseases. “”
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Alison Cox was in the room Thursday when the American secretary for health and social services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
RFK Jr. said the United States “would reject it”.
“It is a massive disappointment to hear a government moving away,” said Cox, director of politicians at NCD Alliance, a world defenders’ defendant group.
The declaration which was examined at the United Nations General Assembly in New York is the culmination of years of work – and five months of official negotiations – by governments, health experts and civil society members. It has a roadmap to prevent and control non -transmitted diseases – such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer – and promotion of mental health.
RFK Jr. started his remarks by saying how much he cares about treating these chronic diseases. He then opposed the United Nations Declaration, saying: “The United States will move away from the declaration, but we will never move away from the world or from our commitment to end chronic diseases.”
“He goes beyond the appropriate role of the UN while ignoring the most urgent health problems,” he added, although he did not explain the problems he had in mind. HHS did not answer the questions that NPR sent by asking for an explanation.
He said that the Trump administration has concerns about the promotion of “radical gender ideology” and abortion. However, the United Nations Declaration does not deal with reproductive rights or gender identity issues.
Instead, the emphasis is on the 43 million people who die in the world each year from non -transmitted diseases, including cerebral vascular accidents and pulmonary diseases. In this number, 18 million people die before their 70th birthday and more than 80% of these premature deaths occur in low and intermediate income countries.
The document presents targets to be reached by 2030, in particular by reducing the number of tobacco users by 150 million, allowing 150 million people more to control their hypertension and increase the number of people with access to mental health care.
Some countries and defenders have expressed concerns about the text, such as the fact that the document does not discuss sugary drinks despite the role they play in the rise in infantile obesity rates.
However, there was a large support to advance the declaration. In a statement Friday, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that “world leaders expressed overwhelming support for the text”.
The rejection by RFK Jr. of the political declaration is part of a broader image in which the Trump administration criticized who and other agencies of the United Nations. The evening of the inauguration, the United States began the process of withdrawn from the United States from the international organization and Trump quickly prevented Some American health officials of communication with WHO officials. RFK Jr. also played an active role in global health decisions, in particular cut funding For Gavi, the vaccination alliance, calling for their “security problems” on the basis of a dubious study.
However, American rejection of the United Nations Declaration is not a death of death.
The president of the General Assembly, Annalena Baerbock, said that the document would be taken into account for final approval by the member states of the General Assembly in October. Cox expects it to won wide support there.
“In the end, the rest of the governments will advance and act and advance their commitment,” she said. “There is a feeling of resolution not to let this excite this necessary urgent action.”
