U.N. summit on NCDs 'is a battleground' of private versus public interests

David Stuckler of the University of Cambridge, Sanjay Basu of the University of California, San Francisco, and Martin McKee of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, write in a BMJ commentary that misconceptions and fallacies "have led to serious under-budgeting for non-communicable diseases" (NCDs). The authors question whether food companies, or lobbying groups and non-governmental organizations that are influenced by food corporations, should "be viewed as trusted partners and have a seat at the table during public health negotiations" leading up to the U.N. High-level Meeting on NCDs.

The meeting "is a battleground, pitting public interests against powerful private ones," but with "the voices of people affected by non-communicable diseases ... mostly quiet. Whether the meeting encourages the emergence of a global social movement for change will shape the future of our health for years to come," they conclude (8/23).