In September, the Global Cardiovascular Disease Taskforce — representing the ACC, World Heart Federation, American Heart Association, European Heart Network, European Society of Cardiology, and other global cardiovascular disease experts — released a statement calling for the implementation of plans to help meet the global target of reducing premature non-communicable disease (NCD) mortality 25 percent by 2025.

The statement, which coincides with the two-year anniversary of the first-ever United Nations’ (UN) meeting on NCDs, challenges the global community to move beyond simply endorsing the global “25by25” target to action. According to John Gordon Harold, MD, MACC, president of the ACC, and a co-author of the statement, “now that the ‘25by25’ target has been set in place, the next step is to ensure that we work with governments on plans that help us meet this target that will ultimately improve global health.” He explains that this will require accountability by governments, and involves an approach that is inclusive of nongovernment organizations, local communities, and industry as appropriate.

The cardiovascular disease civil society community of heart and stroke foundations and societies across the globe must have a leading role in the implementation of national NCD plans and ensure a focus on cardiovascular disease primordial, primary, and secondary prevention and rehabilitation,” the authors said. “Sharing best practices, aligning measurements, fostering experience, advancing implementation strategies, and providing leadership are critical and feasible measures to ensure that we achieve the ‘25by25’ target, not only for NCDs but for cardiovascular disease as well.”

Specifically, the ACC and other members of the Global Cardiovascular Disease Taskforce have committed to:

Developing and publishing metrics around the “25by25” target that are specific to cardiovascular disease and tailored by geography by 2014.

Shaping and supporting the inclusion of cardiovascular disease language in national plans.

“Coordinating and aligning efforts around implementation of the cardiovascular disease-related targets under the ‘25by25’ global target, with a particular focus on reducing tobacco use and hypertension and improving secondary prevention and rehabilitation of cardiovascular disease.”

“The adoption of the ‘25by25’ target, along with eight additional targets addressing modifiable risk factors and committing to the use of essential medicines, technologies, and drug therapies for heart attacks and stroke have been a hard fought victory over the past two years,” said William Zoghbi, MD, MACC, immediate past president of the ACC and a co-chair of the statement.

Following the initial UN declaration in 2011, the NCD Alliance (of which the ACC is a member) lobbied for the establishment of a concrete goal addressing the worldwide NCD pandemic. Last year, on the one-year anniversary of the UN Summit, the ACC jointly published an official statement with World Heart Federation, the European Society of Cardiology and the American Heart Association urging concrete targets to curb preventable death from cardiovascular diseases. Two months after this call to action, the targets were finally agreed upon under the NCD Alliance’s tireless guidance.

“Moving forward, the College will continue to work with its International Chapters and its counterparts around the globe to make sure that this issue continues to be a strategic priority as part of efforts to improve population health around the world,” adds Zoghbi.

“The ACC has developed into a global organization including 29 national chapters,” said Christoph Bode, MD, PhD, FACC, chair of the ACC’s Assembly of International Governors. “As such, ACC is uniquely positioned to play a major role in translating the Global Cardiovascular Disease Taskforce’s aims into clinical reality.”