UN, September 2011 -His Majesty King Abdullah II appointed HRH Princess Ghida Talal, Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the King Hussein Cancer Foundation, to represent Jordan as his special envoy to the United Nations General Assembly’s High Level Meeting on non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
Princess Ghida joined world leaders in calling for urgent and immediate action on NCDs to save millions of lives globally, saying: “I urge all present here today to take action now, before we have a catastrophe of epic proportions on our hands. It is not a choice or an option… We in Jordan are committed to this meeting’s Political Declaration and to implementing one national framework for NCD risk factors control".
The first of its kind, the meeting came at a crucial time when NCDs – such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes and chronic respiratory illnesses - are responsible for 36 million deaths annually worldwide, 80 per cent of which occur in developing countries. KHCF was proud to be a part of the Jordanian delegation and contribute to the fight against NCDs at this important meeting.