Under the patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, wife of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai, the World Health Organization Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, in collaboration with Dubai Health Authority, is organizing a consultation for the Regional Task Force on the Global Strategy on Diet and Physical Activity in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from 15 to 17 November 2008. The consultation is one of the outcomes of the recommendations of the Third Arab Children’s Health Congress. Its objectives are to review and finalize the draft regional framework for implementation of the Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health and to suggest operational steps for a related plan of action in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region.

Chronic noncommunicable diseases such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes account for a growing share of the burden of disease worldwide and in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. In 2005, noncommunicable diseases accounted for an estimated 60% of all deaths globally and an estimated 80% of deaths in low-income and middle-income countries.

Besides the enormous human toll, the economic cost of noncommunicable diseases is heavy. According to the 2005 WHO report Preventing chronic diseases: a vital investment, heart disease in a middle-income country like Brazil represents an annual income loss of about US$ 3000 million, a figure which is estimated to reach US$ 9300 million in 2015. In Pakistan, the projected national income lost due to heart disease, stroke and diabetes by 2015 is estimated at US$ 1.2 billion.

The most important risk factors for chronic noncommunicable diseases include high blood pressure, high levels of cholesterol, inadequate intake of fruit and vegetables, overweight and obesity, physical inactivity and tobacco use. Taken together the major risk factors account for around 80% of deaths from heart disease and stroke. Five of these risk factors are closely related to physical activity and diet.

To address this situation, in 2004 the 57th World Health Assembly adopted the WHO Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health. Implementation of the Global Strategy should result in significant reduction in the mortality and morbidity of major noncommunicable diseases and their risk factors. For systematic and sustained implementation, clear national policies and strategic approaches are needed involving different sectors and stakeholders. Thus, WHO and partners have developed a regional framework that provides a mechanism for the adaptation and implementation of the Global Strategy at the national level in accordance with each country’s specificities and context.

Earlier this year, the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean established a regional task force to take forward the Global Strategy and promote healthy diet and physical activity. The task force brings together experts from health, academia, education, nutrition and United Nations agencies including WHO, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). With the finalization of the framework, it is hoped that the approaches laid out in the Global Strategy can be out into operation bring to a halt the noncommunicable disease epidemic in the Eastern Mediterranean Region.