Informing the 2011 UN Session on Noncommunicable Diseases: applying lessons from the AIDS response

Summary Points * The September 2011 UN High-Level Meeting on Noncommunicable Diseases provides an opportunity for the international community and national stakeholders to raise awareness and launch an effective global response to noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). * Valuable policy lessons have been learned in the control of AIDS that can help inform the global dialogue when designing a NCD response in developing countries. * The AIDS response demonstrates successes in advocacy and resource mobilization, priority setting, coalition building, strong national and community leadership, strengthening of community health infrastructures, and health systems strengthening. * Weaknesses of the AIDS response to avoid when building a NCD response include creation of stove-pipe vertical programs, ineffectiveness of prevention efforts, and inefficient and uncoordinated use of resources. * The lessons learned in the global response to AIDS are relevant to the likely outcomes of the UN High-Level Meeting on NCDs: (1) improvement in advocacy and recognition of the NCD burden, (2) greater attention in national planning and resource allocation, (3) a longer-term investment of donors, and (4) greater emphasis on strengthening health systems. [...]the AIDS response has shown that a primarily vertical health infrastructure can result in improvements in the laboratory infrastructure, pharmacy, and supply chain management of drugs and other medical commodities.