In September 2025, world leaders reached a landmark agreement at the United Nations General Assembly, adopting a new global political declaration that, for the first time, addresses noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and mental health together. The declaration reflects growing recognition that physical and mental health challenges are deeply interconnected and require coordinated, system-wide solutions.
Agreed following extensive intergovernmental negotiations and endorsed at the UN’s fourth High-Level Meeting on NCDs and mental health, the declaration signals a major shift in how global health priorities will be addressed through to 2030.
Why this declaration matters
Noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and chronic respiratory conditions remain the leading causes of premature death worldwide, while mental health conditions affect more than one billion people globally. These challenges are rising in every region and across all income levels, placing pressure not only on health systems but also on workforce participation, productivity, and long-term economic development.
Importantly, many of the drivers of NCDs such as unhealthy diets, tobacco and alcohol use, physical inactivity, air pollution, and social determinants of health also negatively affect mental well-being. By formally integrating NCDs and mental health into a single global framework, the declaration reflects a more realistic understanding of how health risks cluster and compound over the life course.
Clear targets for 2030
A defining feature of the new declaration is the introduction of concrete, time-bound global targets to be achieved by 2030. These include ambitions to significantly reduce tobacco use, improve control of hypertension, and dramatically expand access to mental health care worldwide.
Alongside these outcome goals, the declaration outlines system-level targets for countries, focusing on areas such as primary care capacity, access to essential medicines and technologies, financial protection for patients, national action plans, and strengthened data and surveillance systems. Together, these measures aim to move beyond aspirational statements and toward measurable accountability.
Expanding the scope of global health action
Compared with previous UN commitments, this declaration is notable for its breadth. It explicitly recognises health areas that have often been under-prioritised, including oral health, lung health, childhood cancers, kidney and liver disease, and rare diseases. It also acknowledges environmental and commercial determinants of health, such as air pollution, toxic exposures, and the availability and marketing of unhealthy products.
Of particular relevance to the digital mental health community, the declaration also addresses emerging digital risks, including excessive screen time, harmful online content, and the spread of mis- and disinformation. This reflects growing concern about how digital environments can both support and undermine mental health, depending on how they are designed, governed, and regulated.
Equity, regulation, and lived experience
Equity is a central theme throughout the declaration. The commitments emphasise the needs of populations who are disproportionately affected by NCDs and mental health conditions, including people living in low- and middle-income countries, climate-vulnerable regions, Small Island Developing States, and humanitarian settings.
The declaration also strengthens commitments to regulation, including tighter controls on tobacco and novel nicotine products, healthier food environments for children, clearer front-of-pack labelling, and the elimination of industrial trans fats. Crucially, it highlights the importance of involving people with lived experience in the design and delivery of policies and services.
Financing and whole-of-society solutions
Acknowledging the current global economic pressures facing many governments, the declaration places stronger emphasis on sustainable health financing. It calls for increased domestic investment, enhanced international cooperation, and better alignment across multilateral institutions.
Rather than positioning NCDs and mental health solely as health sector issues, the declaration frames them as foundational to sustainable development, social equity, and resilience. Achieving progress will require coordinated action across government, civil society, the private sector, technology providers, and communities.
Accountability and what comes next
The declaration establishes a clear accountability pathway, with progress to be reviewed and reported ahead of the next UN High-Level Meeting. International agencies, including the World Health Organization, will support countries to translate these commitments into national strategies and measurable outcomes.
For organisations working at the intersection of policy, practice, and digital innovation, this declaration provides an important global mandate. It reinforces the need for integrated approaches that combine prevention, care, digital enablement, and governance to improve both physical and mental health outcomes worldwide.
