A landmark global alliance between leading scientists and the NCD Alliance brings together evidence from a 5-year collaboration with nearly 100 of the world's leading NCD experts and proposes a short-list of five priority interventions to tackle this increasing global crisis: Reducing tobacco and salt use, improving diets and physical activity, reducing hazardous alcohol intake, and achieving universal access to essential drugs and technologies.

NCDs were under the spotlight in Canberra on the 2nd of March, when the Australian counterpart of the NCD Alliance - “Australians for Global Action on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs)”- met with parliamentarians and senior health and aid officials to discuss the global emergency caused by the diseases. It was recognized at the forum that the diseases pose a major barrier to global, social and economic development, exacerbating poverty and increasing health inequities both between and within countries.

NCDs of the Bottom Billion Conference, 2-3 March, Harvard University Opening Statement by the NCD Alliance delivered by Jean-Claude Mbanya, President of the International Diabetes Federation Ladies and Gentlemen, I am delighted to be at this conference speaking on behalf of NCD Alliance.