On the sidelines of this year’s World Health Assembly, Dr. Ibtihal Fadhil, Founder and Chairperson of the Eastern Mediterranean NCD Alliance, and Bent Lautrup-Nielsen, Head of Global Advocacy at the World Diabetes Foundation, discussed the integration of NCDs into humanitarian responses.

“We are advocating for not leaving anyone behind. People affected by crises face immense struggles and challenges due to the destruction of health systems. Sometimes, they lack access to the most basic necessities—medications and food. That’s why it’s important to support them and amplify their voices to policymakers. Often, when policymakers hear directly from people with lived experience, they gain a clearer understanding of their needs—sometimes more than through strategies or policies,” said Dr. Ibtihal, emphasising the importance of including lived experiences in decision-making.

They also highlighted the critical role of financing. According to Bent, integrating NCDs into humanitarian settings can pave the way for more sustainable funding mechanisms: “We need more investment, but we can also align existing resources. That’s what we’re seeing with the integration of NCDs into humanitarian settings—resources are being directed toward holistic solutions rather than isolated interventions,” he said.

In this Leadership Dialogue, you will find out more about why integrating NCDs into emergency and humanitarian responses is a win-win solution for multiple stakeholders.