New Zealand welcomes Pacific NCDs Summit in Nuku’alofa Featured
Nuku'alofa, 20 June 2016. New Zealand welcomes Pacific NCDs Summit in Nuku’alofa The New Zealand High Commission welcomes the Pacific Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs) Summit being held in Nuku’alofa this week.
Leaders and representatives from Pacific Island countries, partner countries, and development and health organisations, are coming together to focus on actions to address NCDs in the Pacific. The New Zealand contingent will be led by the New Zealand High Commissioner, Sarah Walsh.
“Improving the health of people in the Pacific is one of the priorities of the New Zealand Aid Programme. Supporting the Pacific in reducing the impact that NCDs have on the people and on the economy of the region is central to that priority,” says Ms Walsh.
“Around 70 percent of all deaths in the Pacific are due to NCDs, and many of these deaths are preventable. Addressing that will have positive benefits for Pacific economies, the productivity of communities, and the overall quality of life for individuals and their families.”
“The Summit is the first of its kind in the Pacific. We are very pleased to see the international community coming together, and look forward to practical actions coming out of it.”
NZHC
