IFPA and the NCD Alliance: ambitious partners on the global stage

The NCD Alliance is a network composed of more than 2000 organizations spread across the world. It has a diverse membership including civil society organizations, research institutions, professional associations, and private sector entities. The Alliance’s mission is clear: advocate for action on non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

Including both international and national organizations is an advantage for the NCD Alliance, as it provides national organizations the opportunity to follow the global agenda and adapt it to their own national context. Moreover, the NCD Alliance serves as a platform where organizations working on different NCDs or residing in different parts of the world can interact, share experiences, and mentor each other.

So, why is IFPA a member of the NCD Alliance? What is the advantage for us?

Through the NCD Alliance, IFPA has access to high-level international meetings, where we can talk about psoriasis in the presence of decision-makers. We can also access tools, resources, and working models made available by the NCD Alliance that will help our organization grow. In return, IFPA can support the NCD Alliance messages and be one of the voices advocating for better healthcare, more funds, and more focus on NCDs. After all, we are all working towards a world free of suffering from non-communicable diseases. Working together will make it happen.

In practical terms, we at IFPA were witness to one example of the NCD Alliance in action, adeptly translating the global dialogue into action at a national level. Last November, IFPA representatives Patrik Vuorio Executive Director and Elisa Martini Advocacy and Policy Officer travelled to Ghana to attend the first meeting of the Ghana NCD Alliance - a newly-formed national NCD Alliance connecting several patient organizations representing people living with NCDs in Ghana. United under the common goal of improving the lives of those living with NCDs, the patient organizations worked together to formulate an agenda of priorities and suggestions to conquer NCDs in their country.

It was remarkable to see how such a young Alliance - nurtured by the global NCD Alliance - managed to gather patients, politicians and members of national agencies at the same table to discuss NCDs. Furthermore, the NCD Alliance was able to expertly use recurring concepts in the global dialogue on NCDs to strengthen the advocacy work of organizations at a national level. On top of this, the meeting gave us the chance to present psoriatic disease and IFPA in an African region where very few psoriasis patient associations are present.

IFPA’s partnership with the NCD Alliance is only just beginning. Moving forward, we hope to participate in more NCD Alliance projects, representing psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis on the international stage, and supporting our common vision of a world free of suffering from non-communicable diseases.